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CHAKLES IIOYELLIII 



A DRAMA 



DISUNlTEl) STATES OF NOimi AMERICA 



B'^jT 



JOSEPH IKXU^lITKTTl 



CHARLES ROYELLINI 

A DRAMA 



OP THE 



DISUNITED STATES OF NORTH AMERICA 



JOSEPH ROCCHIETTI 
« > 

FKOM 

CASALE MO^PEERATO 



« 
I LOVE thee not, and this thou knowest ; thou 
Who lov'st not Eome, sole cause I do not love thee : 
I do not envy thee, because no more 
I deem myself inferior to thyself : 
1 do not fear thee, Csesar, since Tm always 
Ready to die rather than be a slave ; 
And, finally, I hate thee not, because 
In nothing do I fear thee. Now then hear 
Brutus alone ; to him alone yield faith. 

VicTOK Alfieki. 
Translated by Charles Lloyd. 



HEW-YOEK- 

1875 






EnteraJ, accor Jia^ to Act of Cos^ress, ia the ysar 1875, by 

JOSEPH RCC3KIETTT, 
In the O Hce of tha fjiiiririati oi Courress. at Washington, 



2>y S'^i 



Oi 



•• • < 



SriIlITS OF MY DEAR SONS 

JOHX AND CHARLES 

Who deniefj their riglils to the people ? 

The property -holders, the priests, the nobles, and the king. 

L. MUHLEACH. 

Your deatli prostrated me with sorrow. Tlie will of God be 
done. To you I dedicate this drama. Instead of lavishing their 
thoughts and the wealth of the nation %rith so many churches, 
had the Americans built houses for the poor, employed healthy, 
strong men to work for the benefit of the public, encouraged 
political economy, and placed into universities honorable profes- 
sors of sciences and arts, this civil w^ar would never have taken 
place. In heaven, my boys, you Avant no instruction from me 
now. What I am going to say, is with the intention to give an 
honest idea of true religion to your living brothers and my be- 
loved Americans. 

The so-called religious individual, telling to his citizens that, 
during this mortal life, we must think of nothing else but of the 
eternal one to come, and permit the devils to govern this temporal 
power, not to be compared, as he says, with the spiritual enjoy- 
ments — such a priest, is a traitor to his country. In taking you 
from your most sacred duty, and from the law^s of your country, he 
keeps"you to suffer the life of an ignorant monk, in order to fatten 
himself at the table of his bishop. Priestcraft, being catholic 
or reformed, has always inculcated hierarchies on earth and in 
heaven. Popes had Jesuits, monks, and nuns. When B. Frank- 
lin was living in Philadelphia, he left the church, in which he 
found the preachers always asking money instead of preaching 
morals. If, at that time, one of the noble fathers of this republic 
w-as thus writing in his life, what will we say now, that reverends 
hold many offices of our government ? 

As the laws of nature are those of God, our best prayer should 
be the study of natural sciences, and the glory of progress. In 
placing you in His beautiful creation, and having given you mind 
and senses, God never intended to instruct you as your school- 
teacher does. In His Divine silence, God teaches you, nights and 
days. The infinity of solar systems is a miracle which does not 
require other miracles. Without the work of man, the earth 
would be a sad wilderness of animals, eating each other, without 



4 

law but that of tlie stronger ; therefore, oar best prayer is for us 
to study aiul to work. 

The books of Moses seem to have been written by other writers 
before him. Tliis legislator, although he was a man of a great 
mind, his laws are not of God. The Creator, being perfect, could 
not be imjierfect in his language, nor a tyrant to the Israelites 
and to other nations of His creation. 

Infernal, theologian rulers left to ns the histories of seven 
thousand years. Not only millions of innocent and better edu- 
cated nations than their conquerors must have been annihilated ; 
their historical records must have been burned, as we know the 
burned library of Alexandria, sciences and arts. We, the pos- 
terity of those selfish rulers, we rue the great loss of the past 
ages' progress ! The selfish monsters exterminated, even, the 
memory or records of those unfortunate nations ! And such 
tyrannical vandalism was perpetrated for wishing to appear, 
themselves, the first legislators to their j)osterity ! And forced 
their children to believe, they had spoken, face to face, with God ! 
Hence, was originated Theocracy, Monarchy, and Despotism. 
The democratic or republican government, being the only govern- 
ment for which God created mankind, it will never reach its per- 
fection but from the true philosophy of man, free from all reli- 
gious priestcraft. 

The only monuments of Central America tell us of nations 
whose generations must have been extinguished. The infinity of 
solar systems, do they not tell us that this world had no be- 
ginning ? Had He lived in darkness during his first eternity, 
God could not be God, We can conceive our souls still existing 
into more subtile matter, but the Eternal Spirit, out of his crea- 
tion, is an absurdity. To compare God and his creation with 
us, poor ephemeral insects, is nothing else but the foolish com- 
parison of preachers with the chronometer and the watch-maker. 

Infinity has no end ; like the number, it is space added to sj)ace, 
as eternity is time added to time. A certain space, or a certain 
time, have a beginning and an end. In the infinite sjDace we may 
imagine a centre at every point, and in eternity, at every time, 
we can imagine the middle of the first and second eternities. 
During the first eternity, I know that my individuality was noth- 
ing, although I know, that my body and mind have been formed 
from the eternal elements or molecules. The annihilation of our 
soul, being too painful to me, my hope of the eternal future life 
is a great consolation for me on this mortal planet. But this 
divine consolation is perverted and taken from me, and from the 
hope of students, by ignorant and wily priests blessing the poor 
of mind and cursing the students of nature. 

The democratic or republican government, the i^eople's govern- 
ment, free of all priestcrafts, is the only good one for which 



God created us. The republics of Atliens, Sparta, and Rome had 
a religion which did not meddle with the grandeur of their tem- 
poral power. On the contrary, Minerva was the goddess of wis- 
dom and liberty. Since our Christianity, not one"^ single republic 
had been worthy to be compared with those of Greece and ancient 
Rome. The eternal hell creates slaves ! 

The fathers of this American Constitution, knowing such evils 
done by the church of the middle age in Italy, they provided 
laws against mischievous reverend doctors. Had they created 
censors, like Cato, to watch the morals and church's foxes, the 
country could not be now ruined. These fanatic Puritans, were 
they not the sons of the same Tories who burned alive innocent 
women as witches, one hundred years ago ? 

Like Socrates, Jesus was a great Reformer. He called the Jews 
vipers and hypocrites. The meek teacher of peace could not 
suffer the warlike God of the Bible. Excepting the generals de- 
fending their country from tyranny, all unjust men of war are 
nothing else but robbers and assassins. Jesus had never 
said he was the only begotten Son of God. We are all sons 
and daughters of God. Priestcraft perverted his life. If the 
miracle of this v»^orld requires other miracles for our instruction, 
God would send a Jesus among every generation of man. His 
eternal justice would not have permitted him to send his Son 
God, only once forever into Jerusalem. All the nations of this 
weeping earth would have been equally provided. When Pope 
Sixtus saw his Catholics out of their wit, praying before a Christ 
shedding tears, he went to it with a hammer and broke the sculp- 
tured head. Two branches of a vine were fixed in each eye, 
protruding from a garden into the occiput of the Christ. It was 
during spring-time, when the vines are lopped. Such miraculous 
deceits, are they not discovered in our times also ? Many like 
rogues, did they not fatten themselves on such credulities ? 

The money spent in America for printed Bibles and mission- 
aries is incalculable. What have they done with it? Blood 
shed and mischief-makings to force angels to weep ! Not only 
Catholics and Reformers injure the morality of Jesus, and tell- 
ing us of having said, " That no man can enter the kingdom of 
God, unless he^be baptized ;" such a precept is a blasphemy ! It 
has a tendency to change Christians into ignorant slaves. Such 
a belief does not permit freedom to the human thought. Citizens, 
in such trammels, become monks, nuns, brutes, disregarding tem- 
poral instruction, for the so-called eternal glory in heaven ; and, 
by consequence, imfit to defend their temporal self-government. 
They are happy to die under the sword of their enemies ; they 
would not kill the enemy of their country, for the very reason 
that their country is in heaven without man's blood on their 



hands. But the duty of the citizen is to defend the rights of his 
count rv. 

Among so many religions on the earth, few of them have been 
tolerant toward serular literature and professors of science. It 
seems to me the adorers of the Sun must have been a tolerant 
sect ; but the crimes of innumerable sectarians form the sorrow 
of humanity! Besides the Jews, Pagans sacrificed human 
beings. In order to appease the anger of God, priests say: It 
was imperatively necessary to nail Jesus on the cross to save 
mankind. Such* disgusting anger of the Father, is it not contra- 
dicting the peaceful character of the Son ? And because my foe 
did injure me, my innocent eon must be sacrificed? Our civil 
laws are better than the laws of the Christian God. We would 
hang such a father. This very foolish doctrine blinded and 
dragged the Americans to this civil war. How can we govern 
ourselves on earth, my boys, with good, civil, just laws, when a 
perverted religion teachesiis injustice, cruelty, and excites us to 
an ungovernable passion? Such Christians, have they not 
roasted philosophers alive ? Crimes, are they not originated from 
ignorance ? Can man understand logic with a religion contra- 
dicting logic ? Is God a cruel, intolerant monk ? 

If philosophers have contradicted your superstition, not one 
man of science has killed you, as you did them, with axes and 
fire. God has always left us free, without his intervention. 
Were lie meddling himself in this temporal life, we would be 
all angels without popes nor rev. doctors ; and when, instead of 
praying, all men will work and study God, then, and only then, 
we will enjoy Eden on this mortal earth. God had never med- 
dled in religious slaughters, nor ,of kings' wars ; the Te Deum 
Laudamus, on gained battles, are blasphemies! When we will 
have learned how to be dutiful children of God, without super- 
stition, the future republics of our posterity will be, by far, 
more glorious than those of Athens, Sparta, and Rome. 

The Pagans, as many other religions, have been suppressed 
with the progress of temporal wisdom. The Buddhists, Brah- 
mans, Veda, and many other creeds, impossible to be enume- 
rated, do they not prove they have not been originated by the 
same God? The Catholics are now divided into two creeds ; and 
the Reformers, like the languages of Babel, have so many divi- 
sions, for which the human understanding is nothing better than 
the unfortunate talkings of mad-houses ! And the poor suffering 
insanes say, that their own religion is the best. We have in some 
towns so many churches, for which the inhabitants are in despair 
how to get along, and for which the poor are left unprovided. It 
is only the men of science, who understand each other wathout 
contfadiction, because they hold the true religion of God. The 
licnd-Av«'stn iq tli<^ Biblo of the Parsees ; if the Jewish Bible is 



V 

tlie law of God, tlie Gospel, so mucli differing- from Moses' Bible, 
can. not be the laws of God also ; or if the peaceful Jesus was 
the Son of God, the passionate Moses could not be the Man of 
God. I am inclined to believe that if the morals of the Gospel 
are better than the morals of the Old Testament, we are indebted 
to the progress of temporal science : and Socrates and Jesus were 
Reformers, after the philosophy of Plato. 

We have, and we had, rabbins and ministers of the Gospel, 
whom we must respect as angels on earth. They are good, be- 
cause they had the fortune of being better educated and in- 
structed by a Savonarola, Bruno, or a Newton. Such religious 
men, such ministers of God, instead of calling Epicurus or 
Lucretius atheists with contempt, and sending these great men 
to hell, they have learned, from such original thinkers, the 
great charity of God, who, for our conservation, told us that self- 
love is the spring of motion and friendship. This natural gift in 
such original thinkers, not having chano-ed it in selfishness, they 
act on earth like Socrates or Jesus Christ. The bad laws of mail 
could not change their natural good heart. Such blessed minis- 
ters, being Turks, Jews, or Christians, form the honor and glory 
of our race. Oh! posterity, without the fear of intolerant 
churches, will enjoy the long time-expected millennium! 

Citizens of America, Europe, Africa, New-Holland, Asia, we 
are all children of God. The universe is the worshiping temple 
of us all. Our churches are the public parks, fields, mountains, 
universities, theatres, colleges, libraries, and all schools of lan- 
guages, mechanism, arts, and sciences. Our religious ministers 
should be the professors and teachers paid by our blessed gov- 
ernment, when it will be blessed. From our public specula, we 
will learn how to glory and become good children of God, the 
Almighty of those infinite solar systems. It is of no use to ask 
of God to make us better men than we are. Since he wishes us 
to learn, and become better by the study of His sublime, perfect 
creation, so that our best prayer should be to instruct our- 
selves. When we will understand astronomy, then we will fall 
on our knees and say: " Oh ! this admirable world proclaims Thy 
glory!" It is not a long, sleepy prayer, which can unite us to 
God. Without the intelligence of a Newton, we will never un- 
derstand the Almighty. Do you think that this wonderful world 
was created for slaves, brutes, or monks ? No man who did un- 
derstand the sciences of God has ever been a criminal. Igno- 
rance is our original sin. Priestcraft wants sinners. Without 
sinners, hypocrites could not pocket ten thousand dollars a year, 
and rent or lease the pews to rich people. A sectarian preacher 
may be eloquent for communities who do not understand logic 
nor mathematics ; but such Rev. Doctors, not knowing the 
sciences of God, are the very impostors who keep nations in 



8 

bonds! Abolish wars, martial courts, cliurcli courts. Tlie laws 
of our land should be only the civil courts, without capital pen- 
alty. During their youth, do not permit your children to smoke, 
nor to drink spirits. Punish the drunkards ; but leave free the 
adnlts and old people, to enjoy the temperate blessings of eating 
and drinking. Swearing, particularly in courts of justice, should 
be abolished. A simple lie is already a perjury. With the natu- 
ral religion of God, we can not be afraid to present ourselves be- 
fore the Eternal Throne. 

Joseph Eocchietti, 

Linden, Union County, 

New-Jersey. 



P E E F A O E 



" Opus agredior opimum casibus, atros prasliis, discors seditionibns, ipsa 
etiam pace ssevum.'" — Tacitus, 

On the first of 1845, fifteen years before our civil war, I pub- 
lislied a pamphlet with which I demonstrated: Why a National 
Literature can not flourish in the United States of North America. 
Among the many truths which I published on that occasion, I 
said: " Tliat we were at the eve of a civil loarf" Some newspapers 
honored me with praises, and sinful. Whig editors ridiculed me 
and my pamphlet. The Evening Post and the Herald of New- 
York commended my honest work ; but among those who under- 
stood what literature is, and those who did not, I did not find one 
of them who could or would believe that we were at the eve of 
a civil war in America. Some called me a false prophet ; and the 
most polite ones to me said : that I, being not born in America, 
could not understand the parties of this republic, and that time 
would prove me wrong. I think a foreigner, acquainted with the 
language, is more qualified to judge of a nation in which he was 
not born than a native. But how can we have faith in man, 
while the very ones who called me a false prophet, during the civil 
war they had' the impudence to tell to me that they knew, as well 
as myself, that we would have had the civil war ? 

From the day in which Abraham Lincoln placed his feet on the 
presidential chair, we have now passed another course of fifteen 
years. Linden, Union County, New- Jersey, was the place in 
which I lived, as it is yet my place in which I live. Having 
always been a Democrat, fifteen years ago I said to the Democrats 
of my township: " That, if we 'were permitting Lincoln and his 
Whig party to wage war into the seceding or Confederate States, 
the Southerners, as well as the Northern States, would have been 
ruined, and our liberty gone forever." Scribblers and talkers 
might rob us still more of our money and build other monuments 
to Lincoln, but they can not force into the mind of the American 
people that the Republican party in 1875, time in which even the 
ignorant feel the smart of their wounds, that the Republicans 



10 

are an lionest party. The Republicans may praise tlieniselves, 
boast of thf^ir war, cannons, assassinations, tortures, incendia- 
ries, rapi'S, and all thi-ir roii^uisli crimes perpetrated in the South 
and >'orth of this weeping country, which are now authorized by 
infernal reverends, like dissolute, debauched Beechers, in the 
temples of Jesus, . . . The Republicans may praise them- 
selves for having changed this Republic of Washington into their 
hell, but the honest Irisli say, self2)raisc is no 'pmi^f- The honest 
Democrat does not deny that among Democrats we had rogues 
who called themselves Democrats, in order to cheat the people with 
a false name. But the war has taken off the masks from the faces 
of false Democrats, and the Republicans can not now mitigate 
their infernal deeds, because Tweed and other like war Democrats 
became slaves of Lincoln and party, to ruin this once blessed 
country. 

That the judgment of man is perverted, we have only to study 
the history. Not with the mind of hypocrites. The people will 
never understand God as long as superstition, intolerance, in a 
word ; priestcraft of any denomination does not permit natural 
science to unmask popes, bishops, or any kind of religious ruler, 
contradicting the infinite creation of the prevailing Spirit. Where 
is the man of sense who with conscience would or could say 
that God does not execrate Moses, Alexander, Napoleon, and all 
generals who had unjustly waged war against innocent nations ? 
You say that man is the only being who has an immortal soul ; 
if so, who taught to man to imitate the lions and tigers of the 
forest? When the Roman people, during the times of their 
greatest distress, created dictators, those consuls would have lost 
their head, had they kept such' power more than six months. 
Here Lincoln, having assumed the power of Moses, Alexander, 
or Napoleon, he robljcd and murdered millions of citizens with 
impunity. Such an injustice had always happened, and will 
always, when the people permit the tyrant to be unjust. The 
civil laws send Tweed to the penitentiary as well as the father who 
robs to feed his children ; but the despot, with myrmidons at his 
command, has reverends who pray for him, scribblers praising 
him, and slaves elevating monuments to him. The infatuation 
of our good people is so great, that Mrs. Lincoln, with impunity, 
robbed all the furniture of the White House. 

That the Democrats are not all angels, we repeat here again. 
Yes, the so-called Union or War Democrats have been slaves to the 
Republicans. I can prove 'it by what they did and acted on me 
during these last fifteen years. At the first days of Lincoln's 
sway, I was fully nominated, and fully elected, superintendent of 
the Linden schools by the Democratic party. Before the war, I 
had never wished to meddle myself in politics. In time of such 
a war, I thought it was my duty to defend my adopted country, 



11 

and tliat of ray cliildren. Eat I said to my party: "You may 
vote for me if you think me fit for the office, but I would not 
offend the people by asking- one single vote in my favor." The 
chief individuals of my party did not like me, because I blamed 
them for having, at that time, called themselves Union Democrats, 
an expression of symi^athy toward the Whigs or Republicans. As 
we had, in Linden, a law for which the superintendent of the 
schools was obliged to have two Democrats as securities, they 
whispered secretly to each other, with the crafty purpose to re- 
fuse me their securities. With such a subterfuge, the Union 
Democrats -gave my lawful office to a Republican, a certain Mr. 
Windsor, who was base enough to take it, and pocketed the 
money without doing the beneficial duty, as I intended to do 
myself, with honesty and capacity to the pupils. 

During the time of Lincoln's terror, I gave many articles to 
Democratic editors. Some of them used, in part, my logic against 
the radicals ; but they refused to print my articles as I gave to 
them, fearing to have their business burned by the Whigs, or 
shot like dogs. Their modifications, instead of my naked truths, 
never pleased me. In politics, unless the truth be said without 
fear, it can do no good. 

During the time in which General Garibaldi was invited to 
come to fight the confederates, I wrote to him not to come, if he 
wished not to lose his good reputation. As he did not answer 
me, I do not know yet, if the hero of my dear, native country re- 
ceived my letter. Mr. Ben, W^ood honored me by publishing that 
letter in his newspaper. 

Mr. M. Pomeroy did publish some of my articles, but he would 
not publish my best, which I thought v>^ould have done some 
good, and I gave him many articles. In him, I did not find the 
Democrat I expected. My last letter to him was written with 
this reproach: " You are not the Democrat whom our country is 
wanting, Mr. Pomeroy. The Tories, or Whigs, are the rebels, not 
the Democrats of the South, as you call them. C-ould I be- 
lieve them rebels to our freedom, I would fight, rather than defend 
them, as I do." However, I had not been chained, nor killed in 
Fort Lafayette, as many noble citizens did suffer the death of 
shot dogs. 

I do not doubt many patriots in the free States miust have suf- 
fered in seeing such mean tyrants breaking this blessed Constitu- 
tion ; but I can say that I had not met here a Democrat on whom 
I could rely. I wrote a letter to Mr, Charles Da,na, saying- that 
the Americans should be thankful to him for what he has done 
lately, by unmasking so many Jionorable thieves ; but that he 
could not save his country, unless he would protest against the 
Republicans, and confess, that our calamities were originated by 
the Whigs, his party. As I was inclined to believe him an inno- 



12 

cent victim of Mr. Greeley, I asked of liini tlie favor of wishing 
to publish my articles in the Stin, or. at least, if he were not dis- 
posed to protest against his party, to permit me to write without 
any trammels whatever, and that, as my object is to write the 
triith, I invited him, or the best political writers, to write against 
me and my historical facts. Mr. Dana replied politely to me, that 
my article's could do no good. Such honest Republicans as Mr. 
Dana or Mr. William C. JJryant who, even now in 1875, can not 
deny the evident injury done by their party, they would not say 
that their party did ruin this country. Only an Aristides, and 
such like few grt-at men of the antiquity, would acknowledge 
their ignorant, innocent fault in order to save their country. The 
guilty "authors of this civil war, by dint of having accused the 
confederates so long a time unjustly, now they believe their in- 
fernal falsehood to be a heavenly truth. Pull a nail from the 
hrain of man ; it will remain the rust and the mark ! They are 
so blind in their own error, for which they say, That such a con- 
fession would now render useless the works of millions of vic- 
tims, and injure the Union. The Republicans who have sense 
enough can not deny, that we have anarchy instead of union or 
peace ; but they have not sufficient patriotism as an Aristides, 
who would willingly sacrifice his personality to save his country. 
The Grecian patriot, obedient to the law of his country, was hap- 
py in his ostracism. Such a sound mind in America would never 
have united with a Lincoln to assassinate the immortal Jefferson 
Davis. I suppose now many Republicans must be repented for 
having done the criminal deeds against the Southern martyrs ; 
but the rogues and ruffians still in power, unless they confess 
and repent publicly of such war, they can not obtain the pardon 
of God. When Greeley and Grant were candidates for the presi- 
dency, I Avould have felt ashamed, had I voted for the criminal 
Grant, or for the editor of the Tribune, who advised his party to 
keep the Democrats in terroreni. The dust of (jreeley's party 
should not be permitted to rise up to our nostrils any longer. The 
stink would create so many Ulysses Grants as the grasshoppers 
which last year plagued some oi" our States. 

I wrote a long letter to Mr. Frank Leslie for the same object, 
to demonstrate in his magazine to the people, that, unless the 
Democrats of the North would cease from helping the Republicans, 
in keeping the South slaves to their black slaves, and to keep 
away from those States the bayonets of Grant and usurping 
governors ; the North would always be robbed by thieves in Con- 
gress, and mean -President. Mr. Leslie gave my letter back to 
his secretary, who remitted it to me without one word of polite 
acknowledgment. I told to the same secretary, if I could see Mr. 
Leslie V As the literary man was passing us, going into his 
cabinet, his secretary said to him, that I Avished an answer to my 



13 

letter, and I tendered it again to liim. In pntting Ms eyes on it, 
and recollecting, I suppose, the subject of it, with the greatest 
inurbanity, the editor turned his back to me, entered his cabinet, 
and shut the door to my face. I was a stranger to him, as he was 
a stranger to me. 

I suppose his gratuitous insult must have been originated 
from the cloudy thundering sky which Mr. Leslie must have 
felt on that day, March 2d, 1873. Indeed, my Democracy must 
have intimated to him, the glorious election of the 3d of Novem- 
ber, 1874, twenty months after his urbanity to me. If politeness 
is the principal ornament of literature, Mr. F. Leslie can not he 
considered a learned man, even had my letter intimated to him 
that his aristocracy must have an end in America. 

During those infernal times of war, I was looking in every 
corner of New- York to find an editor who would publish the 
truth against the aristocratic devils, greedy of the property of 
the Southerners. I found only few ones who would have been 
pleased to publish my articles ; but they were afraid to be burned 
alive. However, even the most radical Black Republican editors 
respected my patriotic feeling. They, excepting Mr. Frank 
Leslie, had been all polite to me. Although I did not meet in 
the North a soul wishing to sympathize with me in public, at 
that time, I learned that, even here, the number of Democrats 
must have been superior to that of Whigs ; and the last 3d of 
November, 1874, proved it, or, at least, our calamities rendered 
the people wiser. If the Americans will stick to their noble 
fathers of one hundred years ago, these calamities of our genera- 
tion will teach us wise lessons for the Republics to come, pro- 
vided a new Tacitus would write these annals. But I would 
never cease from inculcating the instruction of professors, de- 
livering public lectures of self-governments, and banishing for 
ever all intolerant religions, preaching, and defaming sciences 
and fine arts. Historical theatres are the best schools of morals 
and social instruction, when they will be well conducted. 

This civil war is nothing else but the consequence of the re- 
volution of one hundred years ago, against the British mother 
country, originated when the tea was thrown into the sea waters 
of Boston to free the country from this hateful tariff. Afterward 
that Tory party changed themselves into Whigs, Natives, No- 
nothings, Radicals, and at last the so-called Republicans, the 
mortal enemies of the Democrats, the patriots of the North and 
South. John Adams, the second president, was a Tory ; and his 
descendants, who call themselves now Republicans, are nothing- 
else but the same Tories of one hundred years ago, the foes of 
George Washington. These Tories tell now nothing else but 
falsehoods. The so-called Republicans waged war against the 
confederates for no other purpose but to destroy the Constitu- 



u 

tion. Greeley, Lincoln, and stinking party lied when they said, 
that their emancipati'm was a measure of war. Mr. Alexander 
II. Stephens was mistaken in sayinij:, That i'lis is a war of States. 
It is a civil war. Had they not the confederate, the traitor Whigs 
in their own houses? Sherman and the devil conquered them on 
account of such traitors. The stinking party has now the im- 
pudence to say, that, were lincoln living, the Southerners would 
not be kept under Grant's bayonets. Are they not the ofhcers 
of the government, with the politics of Grant, and Republican 
Congress, robbing, proceeding, and acting with the same crimi- 
nal, des]>otical war of Lincoln? Had not Lincoln been a Whig 
all his life? Have they not changed the epithet patriotic into 
loyal? The liails])litter knew very well that a loyalist is a sub- 
ject, adhering to his sovereign. Had he not usurped the dic- 
tatorship without our votes ? Were they not the Whigs, the 
Tories, who fought against the fathers of this Constitution? 
Have they not alteady broken our Constitution? Were they not 
the foes of Andrew Jackson, the president-patriot, who unmasked 
the bank robbers ? The Whigs, are they not tariff-men and high- 
taxes men? Henry Clay, was he not a gambler, and the orator 
of the Custom-House? Why? With their infernal Union have 
they not centralized the independent States ? 

When before the Avar they found that the emigrants were 
honest Democrats, they acted their best to prevent them from 
becoming citizens. The scoundrels had the impudence to say, 
that foreigners did not know what liberty is. Now, they have 
made voters and legislators out of black slaves, for no other pur- 
pose but to get their votes in order to defeat the Democrats, 
had they not chained, murdered, and tortured patriots ? Lin- 
coln's party, cruel and barbarous as the intolerant Jesuits of the 
darkest ages, ordered loafers to shoot our best citizens in Fort 
Lafayette ! 

If Grant can not succeed to murder the American liberty, it is 
because a jackass, on two feet, can not be a Caesar. The Roman 
general was, in the art of war, greater than Alexander : he was 
so l)rave that his name is the standard of bravery, without a cigar 
in his mouth ; he was one of the best writers of his age : he was 
generous, and as eloquent as Cicero. Although Lincoln was a 
man, by far, not to be compared with Coesar, had he not been shot, 
our present Americans would have suffered him to be a crowned 
despot ! But, if Grant will do the same, the world will brand 
us: The lad of Nations! In 1875 we have, unfortunately, many 
Americans who would thus ruin their country like Lincoln and 
Grant. Were this not an awful truth. Grant could not live now; 
or, at least, the Americans would have hung him long ago. 

Self or Democratic government is the best for mankind to live 
on this planet. When telegraphs and rapid traveling will unite 



15 

all nations witli j ustice, free commerce, tolerance of creeds, and 
without national prejudices, p.iSterity will pity and wonder, in 
reading the ridiculous, useless, mud slaughters, as we do yet, to 
^et a supremacy which educated men hate, and cause slave to 
fear. Is it not better to be lov.d than to live the life of the 
tyrant, and be cursed even after death ? 

One hundred years ago, the tariff was the cause of war in this 
country. The tariff, taxes, and hateful impositions which now, 
these thieves, keep us in suffering poverty, are more than we can 
endure. We are still such blinded fools that, in preparing the 
celebration of a centennial liberty, we do nothing but to demon- 
strate to the world our stupidity ! We are going to dance by 
the sound of our chains and death-like music ! Can we call this 
the laud of the free ? It is only free for U. Grant ! 

Tariffs and such taxes were and are the inventions of tyrants. 
When self-government will be understood, the rich will be more 
happy than he had ever been : society would not grieve, nor 
will see misery. The blessed political economy, as it should be, 
has not yet been understood. Fifteen years ago I said here, in 
the Northern States : The calamities you are going to perpetrate 
into the Southerners will turn back to us. Do not to others that 
which you wish not to he done to you. The property robbed from 
the South rendered the North still poorer than it was before the 
war ! The Northern States have never suffered so much as they do 
now; but the few, fatten rogues, if they will not suffer before their 
death, God will do justice ni heaven. Taxes on furniture, taxes 
on frontiers, taxes on drinks, taxes on salt, taxes on bread, taxes 
on houses, taxes on our death. . . If they could, the rogues would 
tax the water we drink and the air we breathe. With our money 
and labor they fatten their spies, like the freedmen of Claudius 
and all those Roman monsters, the horror of the antiquity. The 
spies of such Custom-houses look into our trunks, boots, houses. 
They mortgaged our land and bodies. This American and dis- 
honorable Congress fatten speculators, buying goods and lands. 
These speculators, now called millionaires, rise their prices, 
keeping fathers of families in want, and force men, employed by 
them, to vote for their friends, the Republicans, and for them- 
selves. . Behold our liberty ! 

Had George Washington thought that, after his death, these 
very Tories, who gave him so much trouble, would have broken 
the Constitution before one hundred years, he would not have 
permitted to be elected himself as President a second term. 
Had Grant any patriotism, he should have immediately said to 
the slaves, wishing him to be President for a third term : My 
country is dearer to me than a royal crown. The imitator of 
Napoleon the Third pockets the double fee, robs the public 
treasury with the stinking Congress, and -sends bandits into 



16 

those assassinated States to crown himself Avith baj'onets. 
This criminal, called President, whose best knoAvlcdge is to 
smoke cigars ; who sent poor soldiers to the mouths of cannons, 
placing himself where no shot could touch him ; who with 
anarchy expects to crown liimself a chief despot ; keeping under 
bayonets the living robbed martyrs, such a beast, is called Excel- 
lency ! 

On January 10th, 1875, Senator Schurz blamed Grant without 
blaming Lincoln, He said : The American people hold as Kicred, 
as the life-element of their Repvhlican freedom, the right to f/overn 
and administer their local affairs independently. Mr. Schurz 
should have known that, had not Lincoln been shot, he would 
be now crowned a despot long ago. Had not Lincoln usurped 
the dictatorship without our consent? Sheridan, Belknap, Grant, 
and the Devil, they would not have dreamed to ruin the country 
without such an infernal instruction of the railsplitter. 

The letters of P. H. Sheridan on January 4th and 5th, 1875, 
are letters of a mean slave and traitor to his country. He is no 
better than Tigellinus, the rufRan of Nero during the middle 
century of Christ in Rome ; and, what is still more disgusting, 
such a beast assumed the ermine of justice. The Harpefs Bazar 
had the impudence to call the dirty traitors, the huhcark of Ameri- 
can liberty / Were the traitors hung by the insulted people, the 
beautiful editors, without hesitation, w"ould give a kick to their 
corpses, like the jackass of the fable. The Harpers are enraged 
against the honest Democrats : their political trash of despotism, 
and praising their Excellency, brings nausea into the stomach of 
ladies and gentlemen, who understand what liberty is. Their 
sauciness, boast, and arrogance demonstrate what kind of book- 
sellers they are. The disgusting pirates who robbed, and rob 
the lawful rights of American and English literature, are cursed 
by English and x\merican writers. 

Many pigmies, I know, will fulminate the anathema against 
me ; but I know also that the historians must look to heaven. 
Union is wisdom. Ignorance is discord. L'nion is liberty. Dis- 
cord is this war and this infernal peace of Grant. This anarchy 
is fomented for no other purpose but to suppress the habeas 
corpus with bayonets and hinder the best Democrats to vote. 
Mankind had not, is not, nor will be united by the sword. This 
present confusion of thieves, is it not an anarchy? Alexander 
the Great, or the cannons of Napoleon the First, had ever united 
men ? The mind of man is more free than electric. You can 
confine the fluid into a bottle : but chain the brave man in your 
despotical dungeon ; he curses you, even when you, monsters, 
roast him to death ! Our noble race can only be united by kind- 
ness, love, and justice ; and the true religion of God, which is 
heaven, not your hell. 



17 

I am acquainted witli half a dozen of languages : the Italian 
is the hest I know of them. Benevolent readers, I say this 
thing- to you, with the object that you must not expect from me 
the language of an Addison, Pope, nor Byron. I can say, how- 
ever, that these pages breathe such an honesty, to force blushes 
of shame on the cheeks of Radicals, if they have not lost their 
senses. I permit any fool to take up his dirty pen, lie against 
me, or against my political logic of self-government. 

I attempted to publish this Drama, even under the terror of 
Lincoln. Of course no publisher, printer, nor bookseller wished 
to have any thing to do with this work, during that time ; and 
my madness against Satan prevented me from seeing, that I was 
piitting my head into the lion's mouth. I could not see that, and 
even, had this work been published in that time, it could not 
save the country, for the reason that the whole Northern States, 
against the South, had culminated to blind madness. 

Had I been Governor Horatio Seymour, I would have done my 
best to prevent General Dix to break the Constitution, in usurping 
the governorship of New- York. I would have prevented those 
free citizens to become soldiers of such tyrants. Had the lawful 
governor.armed them against the despotical bayonets of the un- 
lawful dictator, he could save the country from these shameful 
calamities. 

Honest, suffering citizens of America, if the last one hundred 
years of your history do not make you wiser, you can not pretend to 
be an intelligent nation, nor to call this, the land of the free. Since 
this blessed Constitution, written by your noble fathers, to the time 
in which Lincoln usurped the dictatorship, you passed eighty-five 
years in a blessing independence of a democratic government, in 
spite of Henry Clay and stinking party. If these last fifteen 
years of robberies, murders, and incendiaries have not cured you 
from your infatuation, and you will still vote for your tyrants, 
you must expeet to suffer a greater slavery for yourselves than 
the bondage of the black Africans. Read the annals and history 
of Tacitus, and you can see the calamities in which these mon- 
sters are prepariing for you and unborn Americans. Can we ex- 
pect the promised Eden on earth, when our indolence permits 
devils to rob our rights and independence ? 

It is now 1875 years since the voice of Jesus echoed for peace 
in the Jewish temple of Jerusalem. He called the circumcised, 
stained with the blood of robbed nations, vipers and hypocrites. 
If not all, many reverends of Luther and Calvin on every Sunday 
exalt the morals of God's peace ; but when Abels, by millions, 
were murdered, martyred, robbed, and burned ; the Cains in their 
temples, with bloody flags, harrah at the agonies of their breth- 
ren ! Rev. Beecher, selling lies in England, was slandering the 
tortured Confederates with the never-ending cant as : mongers of 



18 

neqrocs, the very negroes kidnapped from the shores of Africa and 
sold to the belligerent, not rebellious, seceders by the father and 
grandfather of the same Rev. Beecher, so much praised, impro- 
perly, by the guilty Republicans, alias Whigs. Any individual de- 
nying or acknowledging himself guilty of this historical fact, if 
not repented, he should not be permitted to stand as a witness in 
a court of justice. We should not believe such men any better 
than we can believe Pope Borgia, or a rich learned or eloquent 
hypocrite of Plymouth Church. When shall we value men by 
their intrinsic merit, and not by their tricks ? The nation, judg- 
ing the citizens by the standard of any intolerant religion is a 
nation of monks. Were Brooklyn not a city of monks, the elo- 
quence of a Rev. Beecher would not have defiled so many women. 
The citizens suspecting such men, and for fear of losing their 
direct interest, do not expose bravely the corrupter of society, 
under garments of Christianity, is a coward slave who, for not 
having shouted fire in time, left the whole city to be burned. 
An eloquent mortal sinner is as bad as an incendiary. Those 
Judas or lawyers who attempted, lately, to deprive Theodore 
Tilton from t^lie benefit of civil justice for having Tilton said 
that he does not think Jesus to be the only begotten Son of God, 
are nothing better than the intolerant Spanish Torqueada, who 
burned alive gentlemen with that infernal Inquisition. 

Beloved Americans ! our best friends are those who demon- 
strate our faults to us, and our foes, those who flatter us. If our 
country might return great as it was fifteen years ago, we must 
thank noble citizens who, like Charles A. Dana, the editor of the 
Sun, have unmasked many Americans bad as Roman Augustus, 
Tiberius, Nero, or Tigellinus, the shame of yore Italy, my dear 
country, where I was born. Certainly, il re Galanluomo, in present 
Europe is not permitted to be as one of the above tigers without 
restraint of laws, in the beginning of Christianity; but we are still 
barbarian by permitting a king to be above the civil laws, for no 
other reason but for being the son of another king. King Emman- 
uel must think himself above the sons of Adam. He must think 
himself superior to the woman he loves. His morganatic mar- 
riage proves his false pride. If arrogance degrades a man, to ex- 
pose ourselves to be insulted by the arrogant is a submission not 
to be praised by the wise. When Princess Clotilde Buonaparte 
came to New-York, I sent to her an ode on Italy. I did it because 
she had the reputation as being an angel of modesty ; besides, I 
thought her to be a grateful woman, even to such an obscure 
man as I am. Had I been a Jesuit, as I heard afterward, she 
would have invited me to see her in this strange country. 11 
Cacaliere Montiglio, ex-president of the Chamber of the King, 
her great-grandfather, and his brother from Casale, having been 
my dear friends, I was very anxious to hear from her of their 



19 

honorable and beloved families. At my age, I sTiould have known 
what kind of stuff is a princess, and thus not expose myself to 
her royal, silent sliding-. 

With the icislimg to he a prince, I do not blame myself. Of Mr. 
Frank Leslie I had a hearty laugh, which did .me some benefit, in 
seeing a Republican buffoon playing the clownish prince. My 
dear father and mother, the princess and the republican, will be 
buried like the rest of us all. The monument of A. Lincoln, will 
also crumble to dust ! Benevolence toward the whole human 
family is immortal. 



ARGUMENT. 

Col, Anthony and Mrs. Cliarlotte Eovellini, both from Massa- 
chusetts, had a son and a daughter. Charles, the first-born, and 
the protagonist of this Drama, was betrothed to Miss Virginia 
Hohnes, a rich young lady of the South. 

During the dictatorship of Abraham Lincoln, the Rovellini 
family lived in New- York. Mother, son, and daughter were 
patriotic worshipers of their sacred Constitution of the United 
States of North America. The father was a Tory, sympathizing 
with American aristocracy, or falsely called Republicans. 

Family dissension is the subject of Act I. ; the despotic draft 
Act II. ; Act III., the desertion of Charles ; a martial trial, Act 
IV. ; and Act V., the death of Charles and Virginia, with recon- 
ciliation in heaven. 



PERSONS. 



Anthony, "^ 
Charles, 

ChAKLOTTE, ^ l^OVELLINI. 

Alaska, 

VlllGTNIA HOL^SIES. 

Alphonso Spanglek, 

Judge. 

Reverend Thompson. 

People. 

Jury of Twelve Soldiers. 

Generals. 

Captains. 

Officers. 

Soldiers. 

Scene. — JJome of Colonel Anthony liovellini in New-Yoric ; 
aftencard the Camp of the Army of Potomac in America. 



ACT I. 

S C E N E I. 

Anthony, Chakles. 

Anthony. 

Your love for Holmes Virginia blinds you now ; 
This poor^ unhappy country do protect. 

Charles, 

I fear that you feel not our country's love. 

Anthony. 

Do, be my son. 

Charles. 

My duty does not fail ; 
But that of citizen I feel likewise. 
I did, I do, and still I will pray Heaven, 
That you may feel the citizen's high duty. 
Oh ! do, I pray, give up your party, father. 

Anthony. 

Lincoln, the elected President, should rule 

The government. Yoa should not hinder, Charles, 

The administration. Wicked times are these. 

Charles. 

The South is not rebellious. I was not 

Yet born when you were Tories, though called Whigs 

You were rebellious to the country's laws. 

Was not this President against the Union ? 

It was his wish to disunite the States : 

Read, read our history, and then be just. 

Now, with the Union painted on the flag. 

Brothers 'gainst brothers, he with jokes excites ; 

Fathers against the sons. He v/ished to reign. 



24 

And rein;ns. Witli taxes, citizens he robs ; 
Infamous votes be buys ; in prisons locks, 
Unlawfully, Americans born free. 

Anthony. 

But is not terror in tliese times required ? 

Charles. 

After your base insults, tlie South secedes : 
The South does not wage war on these free States. 
Upon their slaves you have no right. The tyrant 
Has bought the Senate. Now, with him, against 
The Constitution, they conspire. They wage, 
On brothers, brutal war : the North is kept 
In bonds. Are we not slaves to them ? 

Antho^sY. 

You traitor , 

Charles. 

Of this, our land, the traitors are the Whigs. 

Anthony. 

You should be sent to jail. 

Charles. 

Do not delay. 
Have we no martial laws ? You should denounce 
Your son in this fanantic, servile war. 
Missouri', Orleans, Maryland, all States 
The tyrants have reduced in ruin. Born 
Beggars, and basely proud, in brutal power 
They glory. Southern whites they put in bonds. 
And' into thieves they change the freedmen blacks. 
From the first President until these days, 
The name Republican was false in you : 
Of the best citizens, you are the foes. 
With changing times you ever change your name. 
Of this premeditated war you wished 
Made Henry Clay your chief, when he was living. 
Three candidates the Democrats, against 
Your Lincoln, had. Our votes divided thus. 
Against the people's will you did prevail. 
It should have been a mourning day, the day 
In which your Lincoln entered Washington. 
You, with the craft to centralize the States, 



Silver and gold from rich and poor extorted. 
Not all tlie Democrats, as Wliigs, are crafty ; 
By your corrupted press deceived, to your 
Speakers tliey went to listen to your self 
Boasting, The great Roman, the censor Cato, 
Permitted would he have such boasting Whigs 
To speak such language as deserves the lash ? 
Are we not slaves already ? But your son 
Would rather die the death of a free man. 

Anthony. 

Call you a country free, where slaves by millions 
Are kept in bonds ? 

Chables. 

Our greatest evil's this ! 
But your own father, did he not buy slaves ? 
And did he not sell them? The just forefather 
Of dear Virginia had he not bought slaves, 
Slaves from your father ? Are not we now rich ? 
This wealth, which our ancestors gave to us. 
Was it not gained by interchange of slaves. 
Robbed from the shores of Africa? Did not 
Bostonians bring negroes to the North ? 
Still greater is oiir infamy ! The South 
Bought them : you kidnapped them and sold for gold. 
What right have you to free the negroes, whom 
You, to your brothers of the South, did sell? 
With sword in hand, you cut their masters' throats, 
And burn their houses ! 

Anthony. 

We no more have slaves ; 
The South should have emancipated them, 
As we did. 

Charles. 

Irish, Dutch from Europe came 
Into these States to bless with work, and free 
This country from such evil. Emancipation, 
Time, patience, and instruction will free them. 
As we have done, as well as Greece and Rome. 
Slaves to the South belong, and to the North 
Counsels of peaceful Gospel. Lincoln has 
No right to free the slaves. Do they belong 
To him ? Our great audacity the South 
Has not, nor wish to rule these States of ours. 
Do not unite yourself to such base tyrants. 



26 

Anthony. 

The Southerners are tyrants to their slaves. 

Charles. 

Your very crimes in your own neighbor spurn. 

To your party you wish to bind me slave ! 

When your thoughts were unlmown to me, most dear 

To me you were. Are you now equal to 

Your master, who himself did place above 

The law ? Unjust to soldiers you may be ; 

Lincoln may be to you unjust. Your master. 

Already, is the President. You know 

Not, or, at least, you do not wish to know 

The hateful curse of your perverted party. 

Three years ago, with sacred laws we were 

Independent. What rifrht have you, without 

Just cause, without the judgment of the court. 

To send me now to your bastiles to rot ? 

By passion, rancor, now to infernal counsels 

Moved are you. Pray not to repent too late ! 

To thoughtless men, revenge is mighty sweet. 

Yes, for your valiant deed, to you was given 

Of -warlike glory world-wide fame ; but, father, 

The very generals who tyrants are 

To citizens, are they not Lincoln's slaves ? 

With degradation their lost battles were 

Ptcquited. If McClellan were recalled 

To the command of the army, he'd receive 

The tyrant's order still. Each public place 

Of this poor land is held by mean white slaves. 

The Latin Romans are not known by us : 

This age feels not the noble, generous thought 

Of liberty. The General and jailer 

Of Baltimore holds negroes in the jails, 

Because they wish not fight against their masters ; 

They were not slaves to them, but grateful servants. 



SCENE IL 

Charlotte, and the Same. 

Charlotte. 

My son, dear husband, cease. You wound my heart 
With your dispute. 

Anthony. 

To government is Charles 
The ffreatest foe, as well to me. 



27 
Charles. 

The foe 
I am of tyrants, and tlie friend of our 
Free laws and Constitution. Citizens 
We liave wlio may be worthy ot Jefferson, 
Monroe, and Washington ; bat now such men 
We can not find, unless we look among 
The Democrats. The Union of the Whigs 
Is union of perdition. Can you hope 
With those whose cities you have burned, to join 
In brotliers' love ? Blood, crimes the most robust 
Stare at your face in every place you go : 
Rapes, desolation, famine censure you ! 
And still you do not blush? What right have you 
Upon the very slaves, whom you did sell ? 
Your base pretext to free the slaves is false. 
You, many times have changed your party's name : 
Republicans, Know-nothings, Natives, Whigs 
Are nothing else but Tories. On my party 
With Henry Clay you did waae war : you now 
Feel not ashamed to praise the immortal Jackson, 
Whom you abused in life and his own party. 
You were the foes of Andrew Jackson ; but 
Now, him who sleeps the sleep of death, you praise, 
Praise talsely him, whom you've misused. Have you 
Forgot the threats, insults, in his lifetime. 
You gave to him, through Henry <^lay, you Whigs ? 
Had you not, with the tariff, robbed the South ? 
And now, with money robbed from us, and taxes 
Upon the air we breathe, you murder those 
Who leave you free, and wish be left' alone. 
Silver and gold, your gods, the tariff, bank, 
And aristocracy have always kept 
You, from the sacred freedom, dear to me. 
And now that you are rich, you buy the titles 
Of lords, marquis, princes, king&. Of our sons 
The shame and horror we shall be, when these 
Calamities described will be by true 
Historians. The newspapers of the North, 
Excepting only few, are sold to Whigs : 
In Lafayette, the Democrats are locked 
For having branded bloody deeds of shame. 
In servile silence you force us to weep. 
Missouri, Texas, Maryland, Kentucky 
Are under tyrant laws as Northern States. 
The infernal monster, Jennison, commands 



28 

The slaves to march upon their dying masters : 

Upon the masters, tears of grateful servants 

Pour, mingled with their bl(X)d. This is the time 

To weep, America ! If you do not, 

When will you weep ? Behold Lucretias there ; 

American Camillas hanging from 

The branches of the trees. Those flames which reach 

The clouds, adding to night horror and shame, 

Unveil to Christians their infernal deeds. 

Women and girls in bed, an hour ago. 

They dreamed the death of their beloved ones : 

Almost naked, disheveled, now they run 

To save their lives and honor. Hear the yells, 

The laughs of soldiers ! Daughters of our land 

Are dragged by lustful loafers to the woods ! 

A black cloud falls before my sight ! My mind 

With madness asks revenge. One Clieever, many 

Ministers of the Devil, war they preach 

In churches consecrated to blest peace. 

Unchristian pride erected your rich temples, 

"WHiile Christian poor you leave to die by want : 

Unchristian pride fats Beecher, selling lies 

In Europe, while you starve, sack, murder, burn, 

Ravish the South, defending dying children. 

Apostles of poor Christ were nobly poor ; 

On tops of huts they preached divine precepts. 

Forbearance, peace, and love toward the neighbor ; 

You, reformed men and women, without shame 

Applaud now human slaughter ! Bloody flags 

Upon the steeples of unchristian pride 

Inculcate terror into Christian minds : 

You would nail Jesus on the cross again. 

Chaklotte. 
What answer, Colonel, must to him return ? 

Anthony. 
Charles is a traitor, rebel. . . . 

Chaklotte. 

Traitress, rebel 
With Charles, therefore, am I. Deceived we all, 
By this administration, are. Myself 
A shield will be to Charles. Against the laws 
Of liberty he is drafted. Wishes not. 



29 

Nor lie can, 'gainst the brotliers of Virginia, 
Her friends, and father, fight : betrothed to her 
Is Charles. You hope in vain to change his heart. 

Chakles. 

Were not Virginia dear to me, my mother, 
My country ever must be dear to me. 
Deceived were all the volunteers by this 
President : mocked we should not be by him-. 
Against the people's will, he can not be 
Executive of our laws, nor without 
Plural consent : he broke our sacred laws. 
By placing senators in Congress, not 
•Elected by free votes. 

Anthony. 

In times of war. 
Dictators are required. 

Charles. 

No ; we would not 
Wage war against the South. If not himself. 
Who did elect dictator him ? Eebellious 
Is Lincoln ; an usurper of our rights. 
Such dictators the Romans put to death. 

Anthony. 

In order to subdue ferocious minds. 
The martial terror should be now enforced : 
The death of traitor you deserve. Denounce 
You now I must ; you force me. 

Charlotte. 

When your menace 
Will have effect, I mother am to Charles ; 
Your sword must pass this breast. With such a son, 
This country might not yet be lost. 

Anthony. 

You both 
I, now abhor. 

Charles. 

Abhor I can not you. 
Father, I pity you. Your mortal foe 
I should be, were I not your son. 



P,0 



Charlotte. 

To free 
From tyrants Rome, Brutus condemned liis sons. 
For these base tyrants, sliame of this fair land, 
You wish to sacrifice your son ; wao;e war 
Apfainst the father, brothers of Virg-inia, 
Who've been insulted these last forty years ! 
To Democrats the Whigs are mortal foes : 
Your Union is a trick. You slaughter those 
Who do not wish to help your party. Coachmen 
Do we not see in livery ? Are those 
The signs of a republic? 

Chakles. 

Reason, mother, 
Does not avail with tyrants. Force with force 
Should be repulsed, or die. . . . 

Akthony. 

No more I wish 
Taunting insults to hear. Between us peace 
Will never be. Were it my party's duty 
To plunge my sword into 3"our heart ; if fate 
Claims me to die by parricidal hand. 
Under your sword, I brand myself a coward, 
Should! retreat from that horrible death. 



ACT II. 

- SCENE I. 

Anthony. 

Were, as tlie Eomaiis, great my fellow-men, 

I would encourage Charles in lofty thouglits. 

The lives of great Phitarch made him my foe : 

As Cato, Brutus ; Charles feels now the pang. 

His country's love will not lead him to fortune. 

Were I, lil^e him, exciting men to rise 

To thoughts, now lost, of buried great-grandfathers. 

As mad as Charles I should be. Them I see 

Trembling before the martial laws. 'Gainst me, 

Against his interest he's all intent. 

Eespect I can not have for men who look 

To their own wealth, without the love of country ! . . 

But, change can I the spirit of the times ? 

Such virtue I have not, wish not. If I 

So great a man could be, too well I see 

That I might fall a victim, as my son. 

Oh ! to be praised I long in war, among 

My fellow-beings. In the free States, I see 

That many love the glory of Napoleon. 

Immortal Washington s or Cincinnatus 

Not in the North are found, but in the South, 

Where 'gainst invasion they defend their homes. 

I do the South respect as much as Charles ; 

But my self-love now forces me to follow 

The wicked North for better life and wealth. 

Were it the surest, liberty would I 

Select than monarchy. Brutus nor Cato 

Can now give us the virtue we have not. 

In ostentation, princely life, and shows, 

Emp'rors, ministers, kings, we mimic now : 

To Russian subjects balls, luxurious parties 

We give. The President is now united ■ 

With the same Czar who slaughters noble Poles 

Fighting so bravely for their household gods. 



32 

SCENE II. 

Alphonso, and the Same. 

Anthony. 
General, what news ? 

Alphonso. 

Tlie men now go to draft. 
I think the Yorkers are disposed to rise : 
Traitors we have with us, friends to the South. 

Anthony. 

The mobs without a captain are like oxen ; 

To slaiighter with a stick, a boy may drive them. 

Alphonso. 

Robespierre ruled with terror a French crowd 

Of noblemen in Paris, during times 

Given to court's corruption, vice, and lust, 

Americans are not like French : are like 

Romans in those ferocious times of freedom, 

So hard to be conducted by patricians. 

Americans have not forgot their freedom 

Which, from their minds, with skill, we must blot out. 

Anthony. 

They dare not face the soldiers drilled. 

Alphonso. 

We can not 
Place confidence in legions yet untried. 

Anthony. 

More than two years the volunteers are drilled : 
All the gen'rals and colonels are now sworn ; 
McClellan was dismissed for not concurring 
With our emancipation, loyal league, 
And President. The soldiers in this war 
Are trained to sack : the children's, women's tears 
Caused them to laugh. Ministers of the gospel 
Have in the duirches preached, that traitor South 
Are cursed by God now to destruction, having 
Against the government rebelled. The negroes 
Whom we have freed, force nations to proclaim 
Us champions of humanity. Without 



33 

Impediment, tlie mob will be conducted 
Into bad life : deliglits bad men the blood : 
Thirsty for blood, like drunkards, the art of war 
Leads them from blood to blood. Often I've heard 
My soldiers wish to plunge a bayonet 
Into their sister's, brother's, father's heart. 
For having blamed this war we wage to South. 
Thousands of volunteers enrolled we have 
For a protracted war. 

Alphonso. j 

It is the war 
Against the Democrats which us sustains. 
They think that we wage war upon the South, 
To force them into Union : fools, and worse ! 
If Democrats and South could once unite, 
No more Whig presidents could rule this country 
For time to come. They think we fight for Union, 
Free government : our party we defend, 
And not this Constitution, which was, is, 
Will be the foe to Whigs. The fools united 
With us ; with us they slaughter their party, 
And of the South, their friends, wliom we call rebels. 
Our cause they favor with the war, although 
They do not fear to show themselves the foes 
Of Whigs in power now ; they are the tools 
Of our revenge. Perhaps we have with us 
The greater part of their own party here. 
In the North : of the South, we have with us 
The WJiigs in greater part, and Puritans ; 
But if we do not kill the rebels all, 
Our party fore'er lost would be. The South, 
The Constitution, and free laws must be 
Pulled down, and with them all the citizens 
Of Democratic party. Union, war 
Democrats with, us will g^o, when power 
We have with us, and soldiers : these prefer 
To have for President and leaders, men 
Fond of the sword, and not the men of peace. 

Anthony. 

The Northern Democrats are now divided : 
The Democrats for war, against their will, 
Help us ; and those for peace are curbed, laughed at. 

Alphonso. * 

We hold two-thirds of Whigs in Congress now : 
Against peace Democrats they have passed laws. 



34 



In other times, the many formed tlie laws. 
But now they do not dare to si)cak 'gainst us. 
We now have martial laws ; many are held 
As rel>els, traitors. We have with us many 
Soldiers, Avhose business, interest, is war. . . 
Alaska comes in haste. 



SCENE III. 

Alaska, and the Same. 

Anthony. 
Pray, daughter, speak. 

Alaska. 

The city's in ommotlon. Wrapt ia flames 
Is now the drafting house. 

Alphonso. 

Do, Colonel, come ; 
Must not delay. 

Anthony. 

At your command am I. 



SCENE lY. 

Alaska. 

Loyal to whom ? We loyal should not be 

To those who have usurped our sacred freedom. 

I can not live much longer in these States : 

We can not act nor speak against the tyrants ; 

The truth is now opproprious to them ; 

This war, which should shame them, has rendered them 

Most odious to the citizens : with terror, 

Prisons, and death, their cowardice they shield. 

My dear Virginia, your words move my heart ! 

These words of General Lee move me to tears ! * 

" Our property they rob ; the cities burn; 
Unarmed sisters, the mothers, children ask 
Of you their safety, liberty. Their faith 

^ Beads. 



35 



Is placed in you. Let ns remember our. 
Duty. To die upon tlie battle-field 
For such liigli cause of God is now man's pride. 
The bloody fields for vengeance cry aloud ; 
They, Justice, Country, God demand of us." 



SCENE V. 

Chaelottb, and tJie Same. 

Alaska, 
Has Charles not yet arrived ? 

Charlotte. 

Not yet, my daughter, 
Alaska. 
I fear his courage may lead him to death. ^ 

Chablottk 
Alaska, I feel unhappy, 

Alaska. 

For what cause ? 

Charlotte. 

An honest citizen is Charles ; but father. 
Like Lincoln, is a Whig. 

Alaska. 
The Whigs are traitors. 

Charlotte. 
Your father is our foe. 

Alaska. 

I feel it also. 
Our home is in dissent. My father loves 
You not, as he did once. 

^ Hoise of the people in the streets, with fire-companies running^ 

and crying, "FireP* 



:m 



Charlotte. 

In tlieir own hands 
They hokl the country, and will make us slaves. 
That noble Andrew Jackson was insulted 
During his life, when they robbed us with banks 
Of pa})er money. Now they rob still more, 
And praise him in the grave. Republicans 
Call now themselves, and Unionists, not Whigs, 
Kot Natives, with intent still more to plunder. 

Alaska. 

Lincoln is not so crafty as he boasts ; 

He has confessed to have e'er had in view 

The freedom of the slaves. 

Charlotte. 

Therefore the South 
Did right to separate. His proclamation, 
As a war measure, plainly contradicts 
His former saying : it condemns his act. 
If freedom of the slaves was his intent, 
The day on which they named him President, 
His proclamation should not be of war 
A lying measure. Such an act w^ould now 
Be naught, but crime added to former crime. 
Is not the language this of wolf to lamb ? 



SCENE VI. 
Charles, and the Same. 

Alaska. 
Charles ! at last you come. 

Charles. 

They wish to burn 
The city. Many houses arc in flames. 
All negroes they can find or meet they kill : 
The blacks' asylum is reduced to ashes. 
They don't permit the firemen to quench 
The flames. With danger of my own, I saved 
A negro's life. I heard them madly saying, 

They wish to burn this house. I come in haste 

Oh ! Heaven be praised ! I see they have spared us. 



37 

Alaska. 

We heard a din of mob ; but we liave not 
Heard such a threat. It is all quiet now. 

Charles. 

With their emancipation they have turned 
The North in their own favor : still had they 
Proclaimed the same, two years before, not one 
From Democrats would have sustained such act, 
Which should be punished by the Constitution. 
They can not pass such law without consent 
Of Southern citizens and of the North. 

Charlotte. 

Nor would ou.r fathers suffer Christian preachers 

Exciting armies to unchristian war. 

We were the first who gave the slave the freedom : 

The South, without compulsion, would have done 

The same. The North with good example, not 

With sword in hand, should teach their brother States. 

How can they teach with good example, while 

They have committed crimes in church and court ? 

Their sermons and their speeches to the public, 

Bigot but horror, shame in this republic. 

With beams in their own eyes, they see the mote 

In their best neighbors. Demons are in hood, 

As well in fashion. France is not alone 

The nation, who gave birth to sans culottes : 

But if the ragged- wretches 'gainst the kings 

And aristocracy have been the shame 

Of humankind, what should we say to monsters 

Who trample under foot our Constitution, 

Our laws, and Eoman right in this great country ? 

Chables. 

The thieves are not ashamed to pray in church. 

Not for the Union ; to the extermination 

Of the best whites, they wage this war, to free 

The negroes, and become themselves the masters. 

The soldiers are more slaves to them than negroes : 

With bayonets they keep us in contempt ; 

They laugh at us with war and their Disunion, 



(38 



Alaska. 

If Guatiniala, Yucatan, if Cuba, 
Or C'luiada have hevn disposed to form 
AV'itli us a liberal compact, when \vc 
Were free and happy, never will they now, 

Charles. 

The doctrine of Monroe is gone forever : 
With us the nations will no more unite ; 
This brutal, servile war has placed on guard 
All nations : lost have we respect ; they would 
Not trust Americans, now kept in chains. 
Frightened by Whigs, Avithout free thought, nor law. 
Europe respect the South with arms in hands ; 
For us, and tyrants, they now feel contempt. 

Charlotte. 

The South for Lincoln did not vote : re-elected 

Without the bayonets, he can not be. 

In aristocracy they wish to change 

This Constitution crafty Whigs, and false 

Divines, the curse of noble men and heaven. 



SCENE VII.;^' 
People, and the Same. 

People.^ 

Fire ! fire ! This is the liouse ; it is the home ' 
Of Un aristocrat and Black Republican. 

Charles. ^ 

You should not wrong yourselves, nor act like fools 

Why you now burn the houses of your friends? 

From acts so criminal you should desist. 

Our cause is sacred ! This administration 

To draft unwilling citizens should not. 

Oh ! with the murders and the burning houses, 

- From the street. 

' From the halcony at the background of the scene. 



39 

You have already ruined your best friends, 
Yourselves ! Your mad revenge against your foes. 
Sadly will turn against yourselves. What shall 
I say of your own friends, whom you have ruined. 
And of the Blacks' asylum, in the ground? 
To needy Blacks that mansion was ei-ected, 
Poorer, by far, than you ! Your acts will be 
To you and Democrats a crime most black. 
What good you now expect from such fool deeds ? 
Oh! this, v»all ever be from tyrant foes 
An argument against you all, and me ! 

People. 
We, too, condemn the thieves who burn to steal. 

Charles. 

We should unite against such crimes, my friends. 

Enrolled am 1 like you. I swear to you 

That I will never fight the Southern States. 

Our friends are they, and foes to these fanatics. 

Against the martial laws and all base tyrants. 

Our government is not the tyrant's will. 

The South secedes ; has never been rebellious. 

Resistance we should use against these traitors 

To constitution, government, and laws. 

When in compact with us the South united, 

Not to the dogs they flung away tlieir rights. 

Nor more than we have done in g-lorious times — 

Rights sacred to the States, for which they fought 

With us, against the mother country. Free ^ 

With us they did unite, and free should go : 

Were it not so, could this be a Republic ? 

Of Black Republicans the central sway. 

This continent should not admit, nor suffer. 

If it were not permitted to the South 

Their own free government, without control 

Of Northern interest, the Polish serfs 

Would be more free than Southern States. The South 

They have insulted, these last forty years, 

With abolition and the custom-house. 

More than one Brown, the Puritans have sent 

To cut their throats, and free their servant negroes. 

If they would not poll ate their hands, their morals, 

Christianity with South, nor their chaste minds ; 

Union with them is not a shameful lie ? 

Since Whigs pretend to be such Christian saints, 



40 

Why then unite themselves with South depraved ? 

A cheating word is not the Lincohi's Union ? 

If South leave us to do what most we please, "■ 

Why should we not permit the same to them ? 

Their greatest wish is to be free from us. • 

Were we not arrogant, we should confess, 

That we have been dependent of the South, 

Without their great product of cotton raw, 

The looms of Northern people could not work, 

Nor can. Since we must need confess we stand 

On equal foot of helping one another, 

What right have we to make them slaves to us ? 

If we, with them can not govern in peace. 

We can with useful commerce do still better. 

The war which iS now waged for lying Union 

Is nothing but a party war, a party 

Of many years, raised by the crafty Whigs, 

For offices, and rule an honest party. 

The South would live in peace, if not abused ; 

They better know the Roman rights than North. 

False Christians are -the Whigs, the Puritans ; 

Their lionest Lincoln, and his traitors, minions. 

The Southern cities are reduced to ruin 

By conflagrations, murders, rapes, and sacks. 

With their Greek fires and shells, they wish to burn 

Charleston, where women, children starve to death! 

To save their wives, their mothers, and their children. 

They hold in that unhappy, starving city, 

The Northern soldiers, captured in the fields. 

Of such defense no tiger should complain : 

Still, gallant Beauregard they called a Goth, 

For having non-combatants thus defended. 

They say: We can not burn you there, unless 

You take from rebel city Northern soldiers. 

To please the hungry wolves they must turn lambs. 

The saucy Lincolnites speak like mad babies. 

In these bastiles, they shot most noble men, 

Whose speeches charged the guards with bloody deeds, 

The guards, I say, of mortal sins and crimes : 

Such bloody deeds, which have no parallel. 

Have they with halter punished ? They rewarded them ! 

Against chaste husbands, and the purest wives, 

Infernal deeds of lust and prostitution, 

With such ferocious rage w^ere perpetrated, 

That, if not Lincoln's minions, beasts should blush. 

A Northern myrmidon, who kept in chains 

The husband of a lady he coveted 



. 41 

To prostitute, condemned the brave to die, 

Tlie wife, prostrated to tlie devil's feet, 

Besouglit her husband's life. The lustful beast 

Would not consent to grant the soldier's life, 

Unless she would submit to prostitution. 

And pay five or six hundred dollars fine. . . . 

But, when the hateful crime was perpetrated. 

To 'scape the just revenge of sacred love. 

He murdered still the husband in his dungeon. 

And left to die with shame the outraged wife. 

Behold the darlings of emancipation, 

Who force you now to fight, and free the slaves. 

The very blacks whom they have sold to South! 

The whitened fields of human bones from heaven 

Vengeance implore. The governor may have 

Magnificent, civilian virtues ; but 

He was not born to lead the brave. He should 

Not have permitted Dix to govern us. 

Our governor is Seymour, and not Dix. 

They keep the martial laws with myrmidons. 

Our blessed CQuntry, liberty they rob I 

To fight the Whigs we must, or blush for shame. 

People. 

May God preserve your father's house from harm. 
May Heaven protect your life, which might one day 
Defend us all, against these Tories, foes 
To virtue, liberty, and s|icred laws. ^ 
^ Chaelotte and Alaska prostrate themselves on tJieir knees. 



ACT III. 

SCENE I. 

Gamp of the Potomac with Tents. 
Generals, Officers, Soldiers, Charlotte and Alaska. 

Charlotte. 

Before us, Charles and father had arrived 
In camp, 

Alaska. 

I have obtained a pass, and soon 
Shall see Virginia. 

Charlotte. 

These vile usurpers 
Have now arrested many noble ladies, 
Defamed, insulted others in the streets. 

Alaska. 

Infamous laws in Congress they have passed : 
Citizens, who submit can not themselves. 
They banish, confiscate their household goods 
And lands. Butler, who shed so many tears 
Upon his famished prisoners of war, 
Both robbed and hanged the Southern citizens. 
Because to him they neither would submit 
Nor own allegiance to his portly beauty. 
Their brutal laws are now the stronger laws ; 
They call us traitors ; us whom have betrayed ! 

Charlotte. 

These are the sons of Tories, who betrayed 
The fathers of this country. They betrayed 
Our Washington ; these Whigs betray now Davis. 
On the first day, when Lincoln came to power 



43 

In tlie White Hall, had he his gailty deed 

Expressed to free the slaves, no Democrat 

He could have found to break with him the law. 

Who dared to speak against his bad designs, 

Are locked in prison and bastiles. One million 

Of buried men claim vengeance from just Heaven : 

The mutilated in the streets entreat 

For bread in ragged uniform ; of hunger, 

Old mothers, sisters, wives, and children die : 

Loafers and -spies report the words and deeds 

Of generous Americans, wlio can 

Not see their country mourning, weeping, dying. 

To the true Democrats is not permitted 

The right of their free vote. John Brown, with death, 

Had paid in Old Dominion for his crime : 

With equal punishment should Lincoln pay, 

Having, with proclamation, set sla.ves free, 

Without the Congress, nor the people's votes. 

Slaves, whom the guilty North sold to the South. 

They have horror surpassed of Saint Domingo, 

With slaughter, fire ! The history has written. 

And branded in our face disgrace and crime. 

Alaska. 

If Brown was properly condemned to death. 
So Lincoln for his crime should be condemned : 
His second crime can not wash out the first ; 
A stain of blood can not be cleansed with blood 
He should confess that he betrayed the South. 

Charlotte. 

With terror, death, he keeps the nation down. 
Hinders the Democrats to think, to act. 
Men see a monster in the hateful tyrant, 
And still against the brute to speak dare not. 
The many, who are blind to virtue's deeds. 
Their manly thought is to enrich themselves 
Upon their conquered brothers ; and the few 
Better men, who their country have at heart. 
Lose all the hope of seeing again their dear 
Lost liberty. Tliere are too many base ones. 
For which they can not feel the love of country. 
We have here public talkers, odious editors. 
Doctors and preachers, blasphemers of Christ. 
Great Washington is called by them slave-monger. 

Alaska. 

Oh ! General Spangler is not far from us. 



44 



SCENE II. 

Alpiionso, and the Same. 

AT.pnoNSO. 
Ladies, I am surprised to find you here. 

ClIAHLOTTE. 

I3 in tlie 'camp my son ? 

ALrnoNSO. 
Not distant far. 

Alaska. 
Permit me, Gen'ral. . . . Mother, I must go. . . 

Charlotte. 
J come with you. I must see Charles with you. 

Alphonso. 
Ladies, I'll go with you, if you desire. 

Charlotte. 

I thank you kindly, Gen'ral, but I wish 
To see my son alone. 

Alphonso. 
Do so, do so. 

Charlotte. 
Coming to you, I see the Colonel now. 



SCENE III. 
Alphonso. Anthony. 
Anthony. 

Easily people we have led so far 
From New-York. With decided mind, a gen'ral 
Can lead his men against their friends aud brothers. 
The drafting day was wanting martial force : 



45 

Had we been properly prepared, we could 

Have saved burned homes, blood ; but though New-York 

Seems calm ; although my son is in the camp, 

Now here enrolled, I know too much my son 

To be myself at rest. 

Alphonso. 

Yes ; very seldom 
Can I see him. In solitude, alone. 
He goes about : in tears often I caught 
Him in the woods. Could you believe ? I know 
That Charles do not like us ; still, I love him. 

Anthony. 

Our foe my son is not. The South he favors, 

Because he loves Virginia, his betrothed. 

Her father, mother, brothers, servaiits weep 

In great misfortune : some are killed. Charles can 

Not hate us : generosity he has : 

He does not know wjiat hatred is : against 

You, against me, he would conduct an army 

Without bad feeling. Inferior to him 

I feel myself ; and still, I would not yield 

To his exalted mind. I love him much 

As any father, such dear son, can love. 

Th' annals of that great French Revolution, 

Of liberty the foe forced me to be. 

Oh ! Charles wovild rather die than injure me. 

His mind has always been most great, sublime. 

Stranger being Charles to fear, he can not hate : 

His lofty mind feels now contempt, not hate. 



SCENE IV. 1 
Chables,^ and the Same. 

Anthony. 

The President is sending you the rank 
Of colonel. 

^ During tliis scene, the soldiers and offlcers icJio loere seen scat- 
tered from the interlocutors among the tents, little hy little come to 
listen. 

^ Dressed as a simple soldier. 



46 



Charles. 

Father, to a soldier who, 
In former battles, ^'ign did j^ive of valor, 
It should be given. I would not command, 
Nor must, the men who might superior be 
In knowledge, skill, and courage than am I. 

Anthony. 
On education is bestowed the rank. 

Charles. 

Accept it, I must not. 

Anthony. 

You would offend 



The giver. 



Charles. 



Lincoln, from my brothers, from 
Me robbed our independence : tyrants' gifts 
I loathe, wish not. Our people have the right 
To reward virtue. Lincoln is, as we, 
A servant of the country : Congress should, 
And not the President, reward the brave. 
The power to give reward or penalty 
To wortliy citizens, or bad, should not 
Be delegated to one single man. 
The South I do respect ; the North can not 
Be free without the freedom of the South. 
Assassinate you may, not conquer them. 
But are not cursed the Vandals by mankind ? 
If to the chariot of this CcT?sar, white 
Slaves you will drag, new Neros you prepare 
For your unhapi)y children not yet born. 
'Gainst the defenders of this Constitution 
You wage this war. Your corpses will be stairs 
To new Caligulas, and thousand monsters. 
You, public treasure rob ; you sap the strength. 
And snap the nerve of this great weeping nation. 

Anthony. 

You should not use, nor I permit, such words 
Among these tents. 

Charlp:s. 

The sons of freedom should. 
To speak I must in my defense. You, father, 



47 

And every man or soldier in tliis camp, 

Now have the right to censure me. The truth 

No upright man should fear, if tyrants do. 

The truth with terror, prison, sword, and death 

You wish to silence, forcing us to tremble. 

Upon the important war all citizens 

To counsel you should call ; it is your duty. 

Do I unjustly blame your Lincoln? Then 

The laws, the judge, the jury of my country 

On me my crime must punish. Here I am. 

The yoke of Lincoln do we not endure ? 

Three years ago, this President most humbly 

Did crave the vote from men of humblest mind. 

With despotism sends them to fight their brothers, 

The very citizens against their will ! 

If a dictator in the South be wanting, 

To free their land from Puritanic war. 

And Northern Vandals, this should be the time. 

To humble, modest men the Latin Romans, 

During the time when Rome was most distressed, 

They gave such power ; but they put to death 

Any who dared usurp dictatorship. 

Jefferson Davis wishes not such power. 

Against the Congress, and againsr, us all, 

Lincoln is now dictator and a tyrant : 

The liberty of speech and of the press 

Has e'er the South withheld? You have; not South. 

Without consent of Congress, Lincoln sends 

Into bastiles those who tell us the truth ; 

And like mad dogs, his myrmidons kill them ! 

Greenbacks and offices he gives his guards. 

Meanwhile, the orold and silver they have robbed 

From orphans, widows, are from commerce kept. 

Judicial courts are forced to silence. Bouo-ht 

They have the pulpits. Civil tribunes, martial 

Courts by drairoons are kept. Wise men, who speak 

Agjainst the monsters, at midnight are dragcred 

To dungeons frtmi their homes. Their brutal force 

Everywhere spreads terror, blood, and death. 

Our liberty you kill with your false Union. 

You have destroyed with it the rights of man, 

And privilege of freedom. Your Augustus, 

Lincoln is now proclaimed by Seward ; your 

New Anthonius, his Lord and yours. Has he 

Not said : " The guns and legions will force you 

To vote for him" ? 



48 



ANTnONY, 



Your fatlier, in this camp, 
To silence now commands you. You must take 
The loyal oatli. It is your duty, Charles ; 
Every soldier has taken it. 

Chables. 



±J\JJ 0,1.} 

To whom ? 



Loyal j'l 



Anthony. 

To government and President, 

Chahles.] 

Of Lincoln, I am not the slave. 

Anthony. 

It is 
But a formality. Wc must free slaves. 
Of a republic, slavery can never 
Be a part. 

Charles. 

You for blacks enslave the whites ! 
Ten millions of white brothers you should not 
Exterminate to free four million slaves. 
Europe and all the nations who have heard 
Your artful argument, and many of us 
Who have forgot their country, dear to me, 
Regard it, as philanthropy in you. 
'Tis a pretext ! To Washington, to Franklin, 
Until the present time, you have waged war 
Against the Democrats who gave us freedom. 
Since that time you have changed your name, but Tories 
You were, you are, and will be to the best 
Americans. Although to be, you boast. 
The friends of negroes and this country's right. 
Tyrants you are to whites and to the blacks. 
The Democrats, you know, the worthy sons 
Of independence, glorious rebels were. 
Can you with us now number many patnots 
As we can find among Confederates? 
You know full well, that with emancipation 
You ruin country, constitution, laws ; 
And though now both the whites and blacks you ruin. 
And witli the South the North, you call yourselves 
Philanthropists of negro slaves. You brought 



40 

To tliis distracted land, botli war and debtf?. 
The negroes, whom you have already freed. 
Do they not suffer in your hands ? The tliousands 
Of helpless beings, oh 1 bleed or die by want ! 
If the poor whites have not sufficient work 
In these free States, what will you do with three 
Or four black millions with enormous debts? 
The freedom which you give to them is naught 
But a permit to die upon free roads. 

Anthony. 

Has Garibaldi not and Victor Hugo 

Praised us for giving freedom to the negroes ? 

Charles, 

Such men do wrong to speak of nations they 

Know not. Still, we shouldTgive no heed to talks 

Of daily papers, spread by party spirit. 

When Garibaldi, Hu^o, and like men 

Will hear the craft of Lincoln, Butler, Payne, 

They will x^roclaim that they have been deceived 

By the false scribblers who sell mortal lies. 

Alphonso. 

You must now take the oath of loyalty. 

Charles. 
I would die first. 

Alphonso. 

Always, my friend, you have 
Been dear to me. The rigorous command 
You know. The General in-chief wants it. 
He gave us the commission and to all: 
The same to you. Example of rebellion 
You must not give. 

Charles. 

I've sworn to never swear 
For tyrants. 

Alphonso. 

Marshal, Charles must be arrested. 
Charles.^ 
The first, who does attempt. . . , You will have me 
Dead. Alive I will never yield. ... 

^ Draios out a revolver. 



50 
Al,IMl()N>^0. 

In ouv 
C:\m\h and surrouiuled by armed mmi are you. 
With pistols thus, dare you provoke your chief? 

CnAKLES. 

TTpon my honor, captain, on my country's 
Name, oh ! do not approacli, or I kill you ! 
Do not, or I kill you ! . . . 

Anthony. 

Oh ! Charles, surrender.* 



SCENE V.'- 

Alphonso. 
Arrest the murderer alive or dead. 

Fire ! ' 

Alaska.' 

On the right. Run, run ! Save, save yourself ! " 

' WJnle the marshal force step toicard Charles, he shoots 
twice with his recoUer. The commandant and an officer fall 
dead. Charles runs away. Some other officers and soldiers run 
after Charles. . ^^ , . 

- All excepting Charles and those running after nim. 

^ Reports of pistols and guns behind the scene. 

* Her voice behind the scene. 

^ Musl-et discharge of a whole company behind the scene. 



ACT lY. 

SCENE I, — A 'marshal court in the camp of Potomac. Generals, 
officers, ami soldiers coming, and silently going to seats here 
and there. Lastly, Anthony, Alphonso, Judge and Jury. 

Alphonso. 

The liigliest trust on us to-day devolves, 
Unliappy father. 

Anthony. 

This situation, 
Gen'ral, is cruel, more than death, to me. 
I feel now guilty ! During all his life ! 
Charles never gave to me the smallest cause 
To reproach him. To me, beloved son 
He was : his virtue, honor, spotless habits, 
His courage, talents, when my house had peace, 
He rendered me the happiest of all fathers. 
In New- York, during popular tumult, 
From incendiaries, Charles had saved my mansion. 
We are his foes ; he knows not how to hate : 
For you and me he feels respect. My son 
Has acted 'gainst our party with no spite. 
If against us. He hopes to save the country 
In saving th' independence, and the rights 
Of the confederates. 

Judge. 

He did desert 
This camp ; united with the rebel foes : 
A colonel, soldiers, officers were killed 
By rebels led by him. He killed and wounded 
Many, with his own sword, upon the field : 
Yea, Colonel Rovellini, had you not 
Wounded him, all of us, the Capital 
Might be the prey of his intrepid madness. 
To hold him prisoner is our great fortune. 
If five generals, like Charles, were against us, 
We never could subdue such mad rebellion. 



52 



Deserters with the penalty of death 

Did pay their treason. Justice shouhl be done, 

Unless we wish to pay, with our own blood, 

Of forbearance the penalty ! Justice, 

Severity we are now forced to wield 

In these sad times. Prepared is now the court. 

Let here the prisoner be now conducted, ^ 

Please, Colonel Kovellini, since your son 

This camp deserted, how much time may Lave 

Elapsed ? 

Anthony. 

It may now be a month. Since I, 
By him, and rebels under him, was conquered. 
It is, I think, ten days. 

ALrnONSo. 

Is coming Charles. 



SCENE II. 

Charles," and the Same. 

Judge. 

During the day of the first draft, you are, 
Charles Rovellini, here accused to have 
Revolted with the mob in New- York 'gainst 
The government. With a rebellious mind, 
You provoked, with improper language, your 
Commanding gen'ral. He ordered the captain 
To seize you. But, upon his hesitation. 
You, Charles, prevailed. Captain Sebasto was 
The first who stepped to do his painful duty ; 
The worthy captain at your feet fell dead 
By your first shot. Brave soldiers rushed to you. 
Two soldiers more you killed, and still two others 
Were wounded by your arms : one of them lost 
His right foot ; and an arm the second. You 
Deserted, Charles, the camp, and saved yourself. 
By swimming. To the rebel foes united. 
Against the loyal States you came. You knew 

^ A guard retire. 

'•* Dressed in the .uniform of a confederate colonel, icith a chain 
from his left foot to his right lorist. His left arm, suspended^ hy 
a sling, has a mourning scarf tied to it. lie goes to the criminal 
bench surronnded by armed soldiers. 



53 

Your father was against you, figliting liere. 
Our mortal foes gave you tlie rank of colonel. 
With sword in hand, and a felonious heart 
Of parricidal traitor, you fought us ! 
Although you are our prisoner, we were 
Defeated by the rebels you commanded. 
You led the rebels 'gainst your free country . . . 

Charles. 
Free country,! 'Tis not free ! . . . I beg your pardon. 
Such word, from your own mouth, forced ine to speak. 
But, interrupt your charge is not my wish. 
I will now hear, if aught you have to say. 

Judge. 
Only, with painful mind, I ask of you. 
If you are guilty of these heinous crimes. 

Charles. 

Of all your accusations, I say nothing. 
A false one does offend me mach ! 

Judge. 

Which is ? 

Charles. 

Kever, had I the intent to kill my father. 

Anthokt. 

There on the battle-field against me, he, 
Himself defended. Slain he might have me ; 
Yes ; many times he turned his back from me : 
He shouted to his soldiers : Spare his life ! 
Infernal spirits led me to this woe. 
In Richmond I might be, had him not wounded. 

Charles. 

I had designed to lead him with my friends 
Before the Southern President. I hope 
That filial force, my love, and sincere heart 
Would have restored to me my dearest father ; 
Dearest to me, in spite of hateful party. 
I tried to save him from the heinous crime 
Of killing his own brothers of the South. 

Judge. 

Have you, Charles Rovellini, nothing else 
To say in your defense ? 



54 

Charles. 

You call in me 
A crime which I think it my right, the duty 
Of a free citizen. This riglit forced me, 
Trembling to shed, against my will, the blood 
Ot fellow-men in my defense. Yes ; 'gainst 
Traitors, fanatics of my fatherland, 
The South can not their independence gain. 
Is not the freedom of the North lost also ? 
Upon the help which I invoke from Heaven, 
Upon my sword I have alone relied. 
In helping brothers and the cause of God. 
An ignominous death to me don't give : 
By like revenge no good to yoii will come. 
You must expect the day of final doom 
To thunder near to you, and soon. Against 
You all, what I have done is naught of what 
I would, to save my brothers and my love. 
With you the North can not be free, you Tories 
Of our now poor Republic. To the North 
You always have been, you are, and will be . 
Tyrants, unless the Democrats of peace. 
In the two sections, shall force you to peace. 
Against the noblest citizens you've fought, 
During these eighty years of independence. 
With crimes you changed your name ; but Whigs are Tories. 
Without integrity of soul, no jnan 
Has ever been an orator. You rank 
With Cicero your Henry Clay, a Whig : 
If he, the Roman orator, had been 
A gambler, could he now immortal be ? 
Henry Clay was a Senator of party; 
A party orator can not be great. 
Has never been, nor he will ever be, 
Unless the party weds the truth of God. 
God only knows what bitter pangs I feel. 
For having killed brave men in my defense. 
The war which now you wage against the South 
Is not to free black slaves. You had not dared, 
Daring those early days of Lincoln's sway, 
To show yourselves as black as you do now, 
Against the Constitution, laws, and freedom. 
Upon America you now wage war, 
And the best citizens of this gone country. 
You are sad copies of despotic Ciesar. 
When under his dominion, Caissar wished 



55 

To place tlie liomaus, lie went 'gainst tlie Partliians. 

Will Lincoln e'er subdue tlie Northern States, 

Unless lie first subdue the Democrats, 

Who have contended always Avith his Whigs ? 

The senators should form the laws in Congress. 

If he does not submit, is a mean tyrant, 

Traitor, to be condemned to suffer death. 

Be it in war or peace, he must consult 

The people's will, not his ungoverned mind. 

In time of war, against the mother country. 

As when in peace, during these eighty years, 

All presidents have acted with the people. 

The Whig usurper jokes, not executes. 

With the consent of people and of God. 

His own election, with the gold he gets. 

Is buying now from poor and rich, who have 

No shame to sell their country's right. With shots 

And terror, he restrains from our free poll, 

All timid men, who do not feel this curse. 

The chief of freedom should not be the man 

Who forces war against the plural vote. 

Against our sovereign vote he goes to war. 

And laughs at peace : freemen he sends to jail 

Without cause, law, nor justice. Since our glory. 

To these three years of woe, three Whigs have been 

Elected presidents. The first was Adams ; 

The third is joking Lincoln. Nothing will 

I say of Gen'ral Taylor, honest man. 

John Adams could do little harm, in times 

When Washington was still alive with glory. 

As Buonaparte, Lincoln likes to be 

An emperor of his country. John Adams, 

With the executive power, when this land 

Was reeking sacred blood for independence 

And constitution of eight years, could not 

Annihilate. But Lincoln, during times 

Of great corruption, many years of party 

Dissensions, quarrels, lust, and love of money. 

He can now turn this land to crown him C^sar. 

Of the Confederates, the cause is just j 

Assassinate you may the South, but then 

The curse of God, and nations you shall be 

You have already burned their happy lands. 

Like Vandals through fair Italy of yore. 

To the fanatic Puritans you have 

United, trampling under foot the Gospel, 

Profaning of the peace our saint Religion, 



56 

And preaching from the pulpit to white subjects 

Your war-destruction with degraded flags 

Upou the sacred towers of the church ! 

Now that you have suppressed and burnt free press, 

Sold editors dispatch invented stories. 

Of this pretended justice on the bench, 

There sits my father, stained with my own blood, 

And I surrounded by armed men, I sick 

And chained, am called a traitor of my country I 

Judge 

You stand here, Charles, before this martial court. 
To be condemned, if not absolved from death. 
You should not us accuse, nor loyal men. 
And still more less the President. Your crimes. . 

Chahles. 

Of crimes you should not speak, you, the defender 

Of robbers, murderers, and incendiaries. 

To kill barbarians you call now a crime ? 

You have committed crimes of such a brand. 

That children, men, the poor of mind, and women. 

With terror, now in silence weep, and mourn 

These sad calamities. They know full well 

That you have no religion, -nor e'en faith 

In what you say, and never you will have. 

By your command your slaves §liot me. I had 

The right of man defended and the country. 

Heaven now permits that I should die your victim. 

My body's chained, but my free spirit, never 

Will be your slave. You wish my death ; my death 

I meet as a free citizen. On earth. 

Nor before God would I see you in heaven : 

Happy I could not be to see you there. 

In my defense, you have forced me to kill 

Your slaves ; behold my crime. How can you dare 

Now boast th' emancipation of poor negroes, 

While the whites, born free, slaves are made by you ? 

Better for you, for me, to have no country. 

Than be the tyrants of one single soul. 

Can you teach freedom with despotic sword ? 

You would perform what God has never meant. 

The thousands whom you call free negroes now, 

They die of misery, and cold, neglected. 

AVliite, mutilated slaves, in streets they beg. 

In ragged uniform, their daily bread. 



57 

Unable to sustain tlieir dying children ! 

The South kept well their slaves. What you do now ? 

Lo ! blacks and whites by hunger, cold, they die 

Under the myrmidons and Butler's rule. 

Of war, false reason, yea, the mortal reason 

Of ancient times, and ours, from such great crimes 

We are absolved. In vain 't would be for me 

To speak against inveterate abuse. 

Sophism, war laws. Those whom we kill in war, 

By you, by me, by emp'rors, are no crimes ? 

When true religion and ih' Almighty's science, 

True knowledge shall have taught to men, for which 

Vie breathe this mortal mission, then posterity 

Will call the war a crime of ancient powers, 

A crime of present nations ! Call it duty. 

As you please : though on earth the stronger law 

Is flattered by false priests and false divines, 

The Almighty's judgment we shall hear in heaven ; 

We shall be forced to listen to His laws. 

When North's invaders shall receive from God 

The shafts of retribution, God will crown 

The martyrs of the South on earth, in heaven. 

I am accused by you for killing men 

In self-defense, when from this camp I ran 

To save my life and honor from your crimes ; 

When you forced me to murder brother Abel ! 

I ran from base aggressors, brutal Cains, 

To moral Abels, who defend their rights : 

I ran for aiding those whom you insulted. 

I should be criminal as you, had I 

With you united, to force them to your 

Horrible Union. At the head of my 

Dear friends, I came to flght assassins, Whigs 

Uncivilized, without humanity . 

My fate wished father mortal foe to me. 

Under his sword I fell. The sun was setting ; 

I lost my senses. When returned to life. 

Horror I felt to see myself thus guarded 

By mortal foes, and father by my bed. 

Judge. 

The virtues of your father can not save you, 

After what you have said against this court 

And government. You fought against that flag. » 



AS 



Charles, 

The staius whicli you have made upon that flag, 

The virtues of the children not yet born 

Can never cleanse and make it what it was. 

That flag was bright before these last three years. 

Upon the fun'ral-pile of my dear country, 

I now must die. Were there a tyrant only, 

This hand would have attempted its own duty : 

But, Lincoln dead, would Hamlin there be better ? 

Upon the ground should fall too many heads : 

This shame can not blot out one single Brutus. 

You call the South rebellious ! Who rebelled 

Against this government if not yourselves ? 

Have you not sent fanatics to the South 

With never-ending diatribes on the slaves, 

And never-ending speeches in the Senate ? 

Has not been caned Charles Sumner in the Senate ' 

Was not John Brown in old Dominion sent? 

Have you not sanctified the Puritan ? 

The South secedes, because you them insulted ; 

The South secedes, because first you rebelled ; 

The South secedes, because you shot them first ; 

The South secedes, because you brought the tariff 

Worse than it was in time of English mother. 

The noblest fathers of the Revolution 

Were born from South. Great Lee is not alone. 

Could you subdue the sons of noble South, 

Forced we should be to mourn the nation's death. 

Judge. 
You have already heard his fell intentions. 
His crimes in this rebellious, tottering country. 
The jury must now give impartial judgment. 
Many deserters have been shot to death 
By the law. Cliarles Rovellini, a traitor 
And rebel , is arraigned for many murders. 
Against the loyal government he came, 
And loyal father, heading mortal foes. 
This martial court he did insult ; we are 
And government by him insulted. Had 
He had the chance presented, he would have 
Assassinated President Lincoln. 
The law condemns the traitor to be hung. 
The country asks of you to judge, now only. 
If Charles is innocent or guilty. Merely 
We pray you, do liot lose much time ; be quicl^ ; 
Tlie court is waiting here your loyal judgment.' f 

' TJic Jury retires. 



59 

SCENE III. 

Silence. 



SCENE IV. 
Jury, and the Same. 

JUHY. 

We judge him guilty. 

Judge. 

Oil this afternoon. 
At two o'clock, Charles Rovellini, you. 
As a rebellious traitor, shall be hung. 

AlSTTHONY. ^ 

Your pardon in this paper, Charles, is written, 
If you submit to one condition. 

Chaeles. 
What? 

Anthony. 

If now against'the rebels you will arm. 
Here is your pardon with a Gen'ral's rank. 

Chables. 

The pardon of my God'I hope to get ; 
My brow with pardon, Lincoln shall not brand. 
When but a child, to me the Roman deeds, 
With Jesus morals, you were teaching, father ; 
To me your language was sublime ! Shall I, 
I, for this life, wage war now to my brothers ? 

Antkony. 

My noble son, oh ! you have conquered me ! 
Upon my withered cheeks you see my tears ! 
More than myself, my son, I do love you. 
Oh ! my dear Charles, the government and party 

^ Coming forward and taking a paper from Ms portfolio. 



. 00 

Have you condemned ; but I can'not, oh ! never ! 

Oh ! pardon ! Your great virtues conquered me. 

To you, I feel myself, by far, inferior. 

The dreadful thought of having wounded you, 

When you so nobly did defend yourself, 

Soon will bring me to my now open graTve ! 

I am a most unhappy father, Charles. 

CnAELES. 

As well as we, usurpers must die, father. 

Cursed are the graves of tyrants : bathed with tears 

And blessed with holy prayer is the just. 



SCENE V. 

Charlotte and Alaska— ySa?7ie. 

Charles. 

Dear mother, sister ! As I have told you, 

A death most horrible I must now die. 

One Lincoln's pardon is in father's hands, 

If I, with rank of pfen'ral, will now go 

To war against my brothers. What say you ? 

Charlotte. 
Die ! 

Charles. 
What say you, Alaska ? 

Alaska. 

I say, die ! 
I know my brother was not born for shame. 

Charles. 

Happy I will now die, since I can say : 

You, dear, have always been my pride. Oh ! come 

You both to my sad heart. Sob not. Leave me 

To die like a brave soldier. I selected, 

Before you came, the death you counsel me. 

To bless your family come here, dear father.^ 

AntJiony goes to them. Father and son fall into each other's arms. 



ACT V. 

SCENE I. 
Prison near the Camp of Potomac. 
Charles. Thompson. 
Thompson. 

From the first day of our birtli, my friend, we 
All, upon earth, are on the road to Heaven. 
You have few moments of this mortal life. 
Your happiness or your eternal loss 
Is now depending on your holy creed, 
Which in that hook you have. Upon this Bible, 
Holy precepts gives God. In duty bound, 
We must believe, we all, his great commands. 
Without this Christian faith, you can not enter 
That blessed kingdom. God to Moses gave 
This book, and Jesus Christ, with his own blood, 
Our human race redeemed. 

Charles. 

You, with that book, 
Many of your divines have wronged this country. 
Our citizens should never have permitted 
False preachers of the Gospel. Our grandfathers. 
When they these laws. of freedom had decreed. 
Left to their children a free conscience also. 
Without intolerance, your censure, sway. 
On earth our greatest duty ought to be 
That ot true citizens. Unchristian, false 
Ambition of this earth and heaven, you have. 
Of Satan are your acts and prayer. You, 
Reformers, bad as popes you blame. You blame 
All learned men, professors contradicting 
Your talk against the light of God, of Nature. 
Teachers dare not to demonstrate the laws 



G2 



Of God, of great Creation, of the Stars, 

Of Galileo the science with such popes 

Ro formed. Astnmoiuy, geology. 

Nor of great Newton you respect the logic. 

You scorn the popes, but you are popes reformed 

Agninst the science, arts, theatres, dance, 

Nature's instruction, and the will of God : 

Against the will of God and very Gospel ! 

Your doctrine is all worldly pride and money. 

AVhen you compare creation with the Bible, 

Naught is God's work. Infinity is naught, 

Nothing the laws of Nature with your talk. 

In these unhappy States, you are the cause 

Of our calamities and ruin. Your preaching 

Has wronged this country more tlian popes in Spain, 

In Italy, or France. Here we liave not 

An inquisition of the middle age, 

^Vitll dungeons, fire, monks ; but here we have 

A moral inquisition, still more fatal 

Than Europe had, because the Puritans 

And monks reformed surpass the papal monks 

In number, cruelty, fanaticism. 

In spite of God's instruction and man's wisdom. 

The men of science, you condemn the wise. 

Because philosophy reveals the truth : 

The truth can not corrupt. Your impious deeds 

Fnmi ignorance are sprung and crafty boast. 

You call it blasphemy when scholars say 

That light is emanated from the sun. 

Because the Bible says: The light God did 

Create upon the first day. You have preache(\ 

Against wise men, who can not hold such views 

As you. When under ground my bones shall be, 

You also will curse me. In church have you 

Not cursed most honest men in life and death, 

After you robbed their bread? Beyond his grave 

You cursed Girard, and held his college, left 

By testament, before his death, to God's 

Science, professors, not divines, nor priests. 

College and church you turn to your own profit. 

You slander science, arts, and benefactors; 

You seem not to believe what you profess. 

Thompson. 

I see in you the school of Paine, Voltaire ; 
But when before th' Almighty will appear. . . , 



63 



Charles. 

Few moments of tliis life remain to me : 
On such a subject to dispute is useless ; 
It would excite us both, without conviction. 
To most profound reflection, Doctor, leave, 
Pray, leave me here alone. 

Thompson. 

May Heaven now do 
For your immortal soul, M^hat I can not. 

CHARLEg. 

I now am on the way where all are brothers : 

Here, on this earth, in this precarious life, 

Many of us, called friends, in secret strive 

To cheat the noblest of their Christian neighbors. 

To please the tyrants of the land ; but there. 

In that immortal life, wdiere the black vail 

Of ignorance is rent, the truth is bright 

On God's rewarded, blessed souls of Heaven. 



SCENE II. 
Charles. 

Of immortality I am not certain ! 

Til' annihilation of my soul with horror 

My mind oppresses ! E'en this very being, 

Thought, ardent wish to follow virtue, filial 

Love, patriotic heart, sublime devotion 

For dear Virginia, lofty thoughts of heaven . . . 

Oh ! shall I lose the whole, and be as once. 

Before this troubled life, so brief with tears ? 

To lose this light forever, and the hope 

Of future life as a reward of virtue. 

For which I felt a blessing in my grief 

The stars, the sun, the planets, God's creation. 

Infinity ! To study flowers, herbs. 

The knowledge of this earth adorned with birds, 

Fish, animals, and men. I have not learned 

Yet of our God his silent daily teaching. 

If sent for progress on this earth are we. 

It would be wrong with God to blot us out 



G4 



From His almighty presence, wlien we feel 
And just begin his great Divine instruction, 
With liope of immortality. . . . What justice 
Keceivt'S the good witliout reward in Heaven?. 
Oil ! come, Virginia, to this anxious heart ! 



SCENE HI. 
Virginia,' ajid the Same. 

ClIAllLES. 

Do let me hear once more thy dear, sweet voice. 
Such sobbing ! Oh ! thy gasping breath unmans me ! 
Shall I no more upon this earth hear thee ? 
From thy sweet lips is gone tlie heavenly smile, 
For whicli I felt the life of bliss, of God! 
Shall we not meet in Heaven? 

Virginia. 

Can — you — Charles, doubt ? 
The Son of God, our Saviour Christ, who came 
Into this world, tells us, by his own words, 
We are immortals. Oh ! my faith is sure ! 

Chakles. 

Are these not brutes among the cruel Christians ? 
Dearest, I would believe all that you do! 
Than other nations, Cliristians are not better, 
This civil war has shown them worse than tigers, 
Are there not women bearing Christian names, 
And false divines in church, who now applaud 
Assassins, thieves, felonious deeds, and arson? 
They give to black slaves arms : the beasts renew 
The shame and degradation of Domingo. 

Virginia. 

My father, l)rotliers have been killed : the home 

Of my own birth, the cheerful garden, flowers. 

And library are now reduced to ashes. 

But yesterday, my mother died in tears. 

By want, in rags, and in my arms ! On earth 

' In mourning' dress. 



65 

Notliing remains to me but tears and mourning. 
The Vandals liave condemned you, Charles, to die ! 
Still, these calamities I will endure 
With resignation, ordered by our faith, 
Rememb'ring Jesus' passion, and the cross. 
Do you the same. On your salvation think": 
Heed not oppressors who possess no faith. 

Chakles. 
Have you the- dagger which y©u promised me ? 

Virginia. 

Here, near my heart — 'tis sharp. Oh ! I repent 
Of having promised it to you ! 

Chakles. 

What for? 

VlKGINIA. 

A soul immortal have you not ? 

Charles 



Are you not certain ? 



I hope. 
Virginia. 
Charles. 



Dearest, I must not 
And would not you deceive. I hope. This wish, 
This warm desire, which God gave me, I feel, 
I burn for immortality. This hope 
Is almost certainty. Celestial hope 
I've felt of an immortal life, since I've 
Loved you, since with your love you honored me : 
But, hope is not a certainty. Too sure 
I am of this repulsive death before me ; 
Certain I am of your dear love, Virginia ; 
I am not certain of a life beyond 
The grave, a life not yet begun — unknown ! 

Virginia. 

You make me shudder ! You can not be saved 
Without a childlike faith in the Redeemer ! 



66 



Chakles. 

Such blind belief keeps all the Christians slaves. 

The certain trutlis of nature's science, arts, 

Clear demonstrated like geometry, 

Are what we must believe. Had God forbid 

Untrammeled thought upon the works of nature, 

A tyrant he would be. He has created 

For man's progress these wondrous works around. 

Tlie popes, the bishops of reform could not 

Kule us, nor human beasts, were w'e instructed 

As God has always wished and daily shows. 

The source of all the mortal evils is 

This very blind belief! Enlightened people 

Have never been enslaved by priests nor kings. 

Had not this country been enslaved by this 

Belief of yours, the Whigs and Puritans 

Could not succeed to cheat and rule us all ! 

The Ca}sars or usurpers of this land 

United were with clergy and the church, 

Who kept in blind belief the poor of mind 

In fear of an invented hell hereafter. 

Are not their very deed deserving hell? 

I hope just punishment will be given 

By God to these usurpers of my land. 

Virginia. 

To God, the King of kings, we must submit. 
Yea, naught we have to lose when we believe 
That which the Gospels teach. 

Charles. 

The Gospels be. 
Not all divines should we believe. The Son 
Of God was poor, and poor he died : divines 
In gilded churches preach, and Avish us not 
To think, but with their mind. We are by God 
Instructed night and day, by his great work. 
Infinity of stars, of planets, suns. 
With animals on earth and in the sea. 
To scan the sky we are by God invited ; 
The tyrants, fearing God's instruction, tell 
These false divines to blind with sophisms Christiana. 
The rights of man, the study of nature's works. 
Is true relij^ion by the Lord accepted. 
All civil discords are originated 



^L.ofC. i.t-;'^ 



67- 



From tliese religions, now so much divided. 
The one with senseless commentaries cites 
The Bible ; th' other with controversies. 
Polemics start dissents in church and home : 
Thus trampling under foot the common-sense 
And the divine precepts of Christ, they preach 
Treason to God, and qaereles never ending. 
The dirk, Virginia. . . . 

Virginia. 

To reward in heaven 
Your virtues, God awaits ; but, self-murder, 
Charles, is by God, most solemnly, forbid. 

Charles. 

'Gainst my will I'm now forced to kill myself. 
Could I escape, I would. You see these chains ! 
I hope ... It seems to me the heavenly love 
I feel for you and for our country, can 
Not terminate. I feel my soul immortal. 

ViRaiNiA. 

This world has been for you but grief ; for me 
Has been a world of tears. Our glory must, 
Will be, my dear, in heaven. 

Charles. 

Give me the dirk. 
If you deny it me, soon on a scaffold, 
Oh ! like a criminal, they will hang me ! 
Such ignominious death is most horrible. 

Virginia. 
This mortal night must have for us an end ! 

Charles. 
A dreadful dream is this, my dearest love. 

Virginia. 

I should have been too hapj)y had our God 
Permitted me to be your bride on earth ! 

Charles. 
In heaven you will be mine for evermore. 



68 

Virginia. 

Betrothed we are to mourn, to weep, and die. 

Charles. 

When on the day I first saw you, I felt 

A new existence. Such existence was 

A new, celestial life. This love of heaven, 

1 hope in God will always be with me : 

It can not die with mortal body. You, 

With love, to that eternal sphere lead me, 

To God's religion. These divines, these priests 

Of reformation have kept me from God. 

Virginia. 

Do listen to the Gospel ; pardon all 

These base fanatics and these false divines.* 

Charles. 

'Tis the last moment of my life. Give me, 
Oh ! quick, the dirk. The door will open now. 
Shall I now suffer ignominious death ? 

Virginia.^ 

Oh ! why does my religion now forbid me 
To follow thee ? Accept, O clement God ! 
Our sacrifice ! 

Charles. 

Upon this earth my last 
Kiss, dearest, be this. God, I hope, will us 
Unite in that eternal sphere.^ A black 
Vail is before my eyes. . . . Do . . . leave . . .the blood 
To flow. . . . 

Virginia. 

Upon the earth this precious blood, 
Charles, oh ! I can not see ! Unearthly force 
I feel in me ! All, all is lost on earth ! ■* 
Our sacrifice, this martyrdom. Oh, God ! 
Thou canst not punish. Charles, thou art my God. 
Oh ! heaven is not unjust ! But if perdition 

* The clock strikes two. 

" After guiiKj the dirk, she prostrates herself on the floor. 
' He icon mis Idnuclf. 

* She rises from the sofa with the Uoody dirk in her hand 



69 



Opens to tliee, to me ... I must. The Lord 
Wislies me now to come to tliee. Yes, dear 
'Twill be to me to suffer there with thee ! 
Oh ! this warm blood ! Oar home is there, my love. 
To heaven I'll follow thee. ^ 



SCENE IV. 
Anthony, Chablotte, Alaska — Same. 

Charlotte. 

My son ! The blood . . . 
It bursts from both their hearts ! 

Alaska. 

Oh ! with my brother, 
My sister dear expires ! "^ 

Anthony. 

My son ; oh ! pardon 
Your father most unhappy ! 

Chakles. 

With her dear 
Smile, father, mother, look, Alaska, she . . . 
The spirit ... of Virginia . . . beckons . . . me . . . 
To . . . heaven! We " . . there . . . will . . . meet ... for . . ever! ^ 

Anthony. 

This is 
The just reward of stolid love of party ! 
With this dear son, I lost my country's freedom ! 

^ She wounds herself. 

^ Virginia dies in the arms 0/ Alaska. 

^ He expires. 



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